2000
#149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155,484
First available Census row
Per 100,000 57.64
Common Last name
Mason
An occupational surname referring to a skilled craftsman who works with stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 176,420 Americans carry the last name Mason. That puts it at #171 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 51.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mason surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mason with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
176K
1 in 1,943
Census rank
#171
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
51.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
154K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153,847 bearers of the surname Mason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 51.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 171st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mason, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mason
The surname Mason originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word 'masson', which means a builder of stone walls and structures. This occupation surname was given to skilled stonemasons who constructed castles, churches, and other buildings during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Mason can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as 'Mascun' and 'Mazun', reflecting the evolution of the English language over time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was William le Masun, who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was John Mason (c. 1503-1566), a prominent English diplomat and naval commander during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 16th century, the Mason surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Yorkshire, where many skilled masons were employed in the construction of grand houses and ecclesiastical buildings. The name is also associated with several place names, such as Masham in North Yorkshire, which likely derived from the Old English words 'mæsse' (mass) and 'ham' (homestead).
George Mason (1725-1792) was a prominent American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was instrumental in drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the United States Constitution. Another famous bearer of the name was James Mason (1909-1984), an English actor renowned for his roles in films such as "A Star Is Born" and "Lolita".
Other notable individuals with the Mason surname include Charles Mason (1730-1787), an English astronomer and surveyor who helped establish the Mason-Dixon line, the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland; and Raymond E.B. Mason (1899-1988), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Marriott Corporation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mason
Among Census respondents with the surname Mason, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mason bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 101,405
- Black or African American24.6% · 37,831
- Two or more races4.6% · 7,017
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,448
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,092
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,054
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mason
Mason appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160,213
+4,729 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 54.31
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153,847
-6,366 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 51.47
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149 | 155,484 | 57.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #166 | 160,213 | 54.31 | +4,729 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #171 | 153,847 | 51.47 | -6,366 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mason surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #166 | #171 | -3.0% |
| Count | 160,213 | 153,847 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 54.31 | 51.47 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mason bearers went from 160,213 to 153,847 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #166 to #171.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mason
FAQ
Mason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mason?
Name Census estimates that about 176,420 living Americans carry the surname Mason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,943 residents.
How common is Mason?
Mason ranks #171 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 51.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 51 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 153,847 people with the surname Mason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (176,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 51.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 51.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 51 of them to have the surname Mason.
Has Mason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mason went from 160,213 recorded bearers to 153,847. That is a decrease of 6,366 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #166 to #171.
What does the Census say about the background of Mason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mason, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (101,405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mason (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mason mean?
An occupational surname referring to a skilled craftsman who works with stone. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mason (51.47 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Mason?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.