How common is the surname Mason?

160,213 people in the United States had the surname Mason in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,927 Americans. It ranked 166th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Mason?

James Mason, British actor (1909–1984), followed by Sandra Mason.

Where is the surname Mason most common?

Wikidata records people named Mason in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Mason?

Mason is /ˈmeɪsən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Mason getting more or less common?

More common. 155,484 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 160,213 in 2010, up 3.0%.

Is Mason also a first name?

Yes. Mason is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Mason

An occupational surname, carried by 160,213 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈmeɪsən/ 2 syllables Soundex M250 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Mason is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

A surname originating as an occupation for a stonemason.

Mason is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 160,213 people named Mason in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,927 Americans. That is up 3.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 155,484.

#166

rank among US surnames

160,213

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3%

change since 2000 (was #149)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#157	Olson	164,035	1,882
#158	Simpson	163,181	1,892
#159	Porter	163,054	1,894
#160	Hunter	162,440	1,901
#161	Gordon	161,833	1,908
#162	Mendez	161,717	1,909
#163	Silva	161,633	1,910

Who is named Mason

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Mason identified as white (not Hispanic), 25% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Masons

47 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

James Mason
British actor (1909–1984)
Sandra Mason
1st president of Barbados, born 1949
Marsha Mason
American actress (born 1942)
George Mason
American delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention (1725-1792)
Jackie Mason
American comedian (1928-2021)
Anthony Mason
American basketball player (1966-2015)
Desmond Mason
American basketball player (born 1977)
Jeanine Mason
American dancer, born 1991
Lowell Mason
American composer; leading figure in American church music, 1792–1872
Mya Mason
American pornographic actress, born 1984
Shirley Mason
American actress (1900–1979)
Harvey Mason
American jazz drummer, born 1947

Notable Masons come mostly from the United States (41), Australia (2) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Mason

Mason has the Soundex code M250, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M250.

Questions

How common is the surname Mason?: 160,213 people in the United States had the surname Mason in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,927 Americans. It ranked 166th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Mason?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Mason identified as white (not Hispanic), and 25% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Mason?: James Mason, British actor (1909–1984), followed by Sandra Mason.
Where is the surname Mason most common?: Wikidata records people named Mason in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Mason?: Mason is /ˈmeɪsən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Mason?: Mason is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Mason getting more or less common?: More common. 155,484 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 160,213 in 2010, up 3.0%.
Is Mason also a first name?: Yes. Mason is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.