2000
#3,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Massie
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place meaning "bog, swamp" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,698 Americans carry the last name Massie. That puts it at #3,420 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,300 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Massie 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 Massie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,300
Census rank
#3,420
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,201 bearers of the surname Massie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3420th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Massie, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massie
The surname Massie originates from France, specifically the Norman region, and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "masie," meaning a small dwelling or cottage. The name was likely given to someone who lived in or came from a small hamlet or village.
In the early days, the name was spelled in various ways, including Mascy, Massy, Massye, and Masseye. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, where it is listed as "Maci" and "Masci."
One notable early bearer of the name was William Mascy, a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. He was granted lands in Cheshire and became the first Baron of Dunham Massey.
Another significant figure was Sir Geoffrey Massie (1292-1345), a English knight who fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War. He was renowned for his bravery and was rewarded with lands in Gloucestershire.
In the 16th century, the Massie family established themselves in Ireland, with a branch settling in County Antrim. One notable member of this branch was Sir Robert Massie (1570-1637), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for County Antrim.
The name Massie is also associated with several place names, such as Massie Mill in Cheshire and Massie's Haugh in Scotland, reflecting the family's influence and presence in these regions.
Other notable individuals with the surname Massie include:
1. Walter Massie (1692-1765), a British colonial official and landowner in Virginia.
2. Nathaniel Massie (1763-1813), an American pioneer and founder of the city of Chillicothe, Ohio.
3. Thomas Massie (1782-1864), an Irish-born American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
4. Robert Massie (1929-2022), an American historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, best known for his biographies of historical figures like Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
5. Thomas Massie (born 1970), an American politician and current U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massie
Among Census respondents with the surname Massie, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Massie 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 Massie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 8,153
- Black or African American11.6% · 1,184
- Two or more races4.6% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 299
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massie
Massie 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
#3,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,920
+395 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.70
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#3,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,201
-719 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,143 | 10,525 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,296 | 10,920 | 3.70 | +395 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #3,420 | 10,201 | 3.41 | -719 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 124 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 Massie 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 | #3,296 | #3,420 | -3.8% |
| Count | 10,920 | 10,201 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.70 | 3.41 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massie bearers went from 10,920 to 10,201 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,296 to #3,420.
FAQ
Massie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massie?
Name Census estimates that about 11,698 living Americans carry the surname Massie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,300 residents.
How common is Massie?
Massie ranks #3,420 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,201 people with the surname Massie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Massie.
Has Massie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massie went from 10,920 recorded bearers to 10,201. That is a decrease of 719 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,296 to #3,420.
What does the Census say about the background of Massie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massie, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) 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 Massie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (8,153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (11.6%), 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 Massie (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 Massie mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place meaning "bog, swamp" in Gaelic. 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 Massie (3.41 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 share the surname Massie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.