2000
#568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.82
Uncommon Last name
Massey
From the Old French word "macé," an occupational surname for someone who made or sold maces and other weapons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 60,393 Americans carry the last name Massey. That puts it at #626 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,675 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Massey 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 Massey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
60K
1 in 5,675
Census rank
#626
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
53K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 52,666 bearers of the surname Massey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 626th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Massey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massey
The surname Massey originated in Normandy, France, during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old French word "massie," meaning a large estate or manor. It is believed that the name was initially given to someone who lived or worked on such an estate.
The earliest recorded instances of the Massey surname can be found in various historical records from the 11th and 12th centuries. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
During the Middle Ages, the Massey family established themselves in several regions of England, particularly in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. The name was also associated with various place names, such as Massey in Cheshire and Massingham in Norfolk.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Massey surname was Hamo de Mascy, who lived in the 12th century and was a prominent landowner in Cheshire. Another notable figure was Sir Geoffrey Massey (c. 1275-1349), who served as a knight and fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 15th century, the Massey family gained further prominence with the rise of John Massey (c. 1415-1499), a Member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of King Henry VI. He was also involved in the Wars of the Roses and played a significant role in the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.
During the Tudor period, the Masseys continued to hold influential positions. Sir Reginald Massey (c. 1520-1586) was a prominent courtier and served as a member of the Privy Council under Queen Elizabeth I. His son, Sir George Massey (c. 1550-1612), was a successful military commander and served as the Governor of Flushing in the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, Edward Massey (c. 1619-1674) was a notable Parliamentarian soldier during the English Civil War. He played a crucial role in the defense of Gloucester against the Royalist forces and later became the governor of the city.
The Massey surname has also been associated with various notable individuals in more recent history, such as the British philosopher John Massey (1892-1987) and the American actress Anna Massey (1937-2011).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massey
Among Census respondents with the surname Massey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Massey 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 Massey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 36,949
- Black or African American19.7% · 10,387
- Two or more races4.6% · 2,415
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,741
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 661
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 513
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massey
Massey 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
#610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,595
+2,136 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 18.85
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,666
-2,929 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 17.62
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #568 | 53,459 | 19.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #610 | 55,595 | 18.85 | +2,136 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #626 | 52,666 | 17.62 | -2,929 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 16 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 Massey 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 | #610 | #626 | -2.6% |
| Count | 55,595 | 52,666 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 18.85 | 17.62 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massey bearers went from 55,595 to 52,666 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #610 to #626.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Massey
FAQ
Massey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massey?
Name Census estimates that about 60,393 living Americans carry the surname Massey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,675 residents.
How common is Massey?
Massey ranks #626 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 52,666 people with the surname Massey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (60,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Massey.
Has Massey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massey went from 55,595 recorded bearers to 52,666. That is a decrease of 2,929 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #610 to #626.
What does the Census say about the background of Massey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) 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 Massey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (36,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.2%), Black (19.7%), 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 Massey (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 Massey mean?
From the Old French word "macé," an occupational surname for someone who made or sold maces and other weapons. 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 Massey (17.62 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 Massey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.