NameCensus.

UK surname

Mason

An occupational surname referring to a skilled craftsman who works with stone.

In the 1881 census there were 40,247 people recorded with the Mason surname, ranking it #75 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 55,226, ranked #83, down from #75 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Lancaster and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mason is 57,143 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.2%.

1881 census count

40,247

Ranked #75

Modern count

55,226

2016, ranked #83

Peak year

1999

57,143 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mason had 40,247 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #75 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 55,226 in 2016, ranked #83.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 52,030 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mason surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mason surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mason surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mason over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 26,283 #76
1861 historical 28,152 #72
1881 historical 40,247 #75
1891 historical 43,220 #73
1901 historical 49,694 #75
1911 historical 52,030 #69
1997 modern 54,456 #79
1998 modern 56,713 #78
1999 modern 57,143 #78
2000 modern 56,656 #78
2001 modern 55,402 #78
2002 modern 56,599 #78
2003 modern 55,027 #78
2004 modern 54,885 #79
2005 modern 53,938 #80
2006 modern 53,929 #81
2007 modern 54,213 #83
2008 modern 54,420 #84
2009 modern 55,601 #84
2010 modern 56,656 #84
2011 modern 55,814 #84
2012 modern 54,813 #84
2013 modern 55,871 #84
2014 modern 56,193 #83
2015 modern 55,634 #83
2016 modern 55,226 #83

Geography

Back to top

Where Masons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Lancaster and Walsall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 010 South Lakeland
2 South Lakeland 009 South Lakeland
3 Lancaster 001 Lancaster
4 Lancaster 002 Lancaster
5 Walsall 017 Walsall

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mason

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mason surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mason

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mason, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Mason surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mason household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mason is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mason is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mason falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mason is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mason, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mason families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mason surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 4,631 Masons recorded in 1881 and an index of 0.99x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 4,631 0.99x
Yorkshire 4,279 1.10x
Middlesex 4,060 1.03x
Staffordshire 2,852 2.15x
Surrey 1,898 0.99x
Warwickshire 1,729 1.75x
Durham 1,483 1.27x
Cheshire 1,198 1.38x
Worcestershire 967 1.89x
Derbyshire 955 1.55x
Essex 941 1.21x
Lincolnshire 934 1.49x
Leicestershire 914 2.10x
Kent 892 0.67x
Hampshire 833 1.03x
Norfolk 818 1.35x
Lanarkshire 758 0.60x
Northumberland 695 1.19x
Nottinghamshire 659 1.24x
Gloucestershire 608 0.79x
Midlothian 523 0.99x
Northamptonshire 517 1.40x
Suffolk 509 1.06x
Cambridgeshire 468 1.88x
Shropshire 463 1.36x
Sussex 411 0.62x
Herefordshire 380 2.36x
Cumberland 336 0.99x
Devon 291 0.36x
Somerset 280 0.44x
Westmorland 247 2.86x
Berkshire 240 0.81x
Huntingdonshire 222 2.85x
Hertfordshire 200 0.74x
Wiltshire 191 0.55x
Glamorgan 184 0.27x
Cardiganshire 175 1.83x
Angus 174 0.48x
Buckinghamshire 166 0.70x
Oxfordshire 162 0.67x
Monmouthshire 153 0.54x
Fife 151 0.65x
Perthshire 139 0.79x
Renfrewshire 135 0.44x
Cornwall 119 0.27x
Pembrokeshire 117 0.94x
Ayrshire 110 0.37x
Aberdeenshire 102 0.28x
Stirlingshire 88 0.61x
Radnorshire 79 2.49x
Bedfordshire 78 0.38x
Rutland 68 2.36x
Dunbartonshire 65 0.62x
Berwickshire 62 1.30x
Montgomeryshire 53 0.59x
Denbighshire 48 0.32x
Brecknockshire 44 0.56x
Orkney 38 0.88x
West Lothian 38 0.64x
Carmarthenshire 37 0.22x
Roxburghshire 33 0.46x
Isle of Man 24 0.33x
Royal Navy 23 0.49x
East Lothian 22 0.42x
Selkirkshire 21 0.59x
Channel Islands 19 0.16x
Flintshire 19 0.18x
Dumfriesshire 15 0.17x
Inverness-shire 15 0.13x
Caernarfonshire 11 0.07x
Merionethshire 11 0.15x
Banffshire 10 0.12x
Nairnshire 10 0.83x
Morayshire 9 0.15x
Peeblesshire 9 0.49x
Caithness 8 0.15x
Dorset 8 0.03x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 0.14x
Anglesey 5 0.07x
Buteshire 4 0.17x
Ross-shire 4 0.04x
Clackmannanshire 3 0.09x
Kincardineshire 3 0.06x
Shetland 3 0.07x
Argyllshire 2 0.02x
Wigtownshire 2 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 667 Masons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.02x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 667 2.02x
Aston 478 1.75x
Islington London 455 1.20x
Lambeth 390 1.14x
St Pancras London 309 0.98x
Leeds 283 1.29x
Leicester St Margaret 273 2.57x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 257 1.21x
Nottingham St Mary 249 1.82x
Bethnal Green London 239 1.40x
Manchester 236 1.13x
Walsall Foreign 230 3.36x
Shoreditch London 220 1.29x
Camberwell 219 0.87x
Wolverhampton 207 2.03x
Hackney London 201 0.91x
Barony 199 0.62x
Newcastle Under Lyme 195 8.31x
St Marylebone London 187 0.89x
Dudley 185 2.97x
Liverpool 185 0.65x
Kensington London 178 0.82x
Wigan 178 2.73x
Newington 166 1.14x
Rowley Regis 163 4.41x
Sheffield 163 1.32x
West Ham 157 0.92x
Holy Trinity 152 1.62x
West Derby 152 1.11x
Govan 150 0.48x
Paddington London 149 1.03x
Wednesfield 146 7.48x
Brighton 145 1.09x
Glasgow 143 0.63x
Oldham 141 0.94x
Battersea 140 0.97x
Hinckley 140 13.55x
Wednesbury 137 4.13x
Sedgley 136 2.76x
West Bromwich 136 1.79x
Clerkenwell London 135 1.46x
St George Hanover 133 2.59x
Chelsea London 127 1.07x
Preston 125 1.00x
Stoke Upon Trent 123 0.87x
Ashton Under Lyne 121 1.19x
Sculcoates 119 1.93x
Portsea 118 0.75x
Croydon 117 1.10x
Bishopwearmouth 116 1.16x
Southwark St George Martyr 113 1.43x
Toxteth Park 113 0.72x
Brightside Bierlow 111 1.45x
Salford 110 0.80x
Mile End Old Town 109 1.76x
Maidstone 108 2.71x
Tipton 108 2.66x
Harborne 105 2.47x
Kingswinford 102 2.12x
Bermondsey 101 0.86x
Kirkdale 101 1.29x
Deptford St Paul 100 0.97x
Ecclesall Bierlow 99 1.25x
Hammersmith London 99 1.02x
Kings Norton 98 2.13x
Chorlton On Medlock 93 1.26x
Nether Hallam 92 1.75x
Willenhall 91 3.66x
Bromley London 89 1.03x
Everton 87 0.59x
Gateshead 87 0.99x
Burton Upon Trent 86 2.77x
Hornsey 85 1.71x
Macclesfield 85 2.21x
Chesterfield 82 3.56x
Longbenton 82 3.31x
South Leith 80 1.35x
Barrow In Furness 79 1.25x
Little Bolton 78 1.30x
Oldbury 77 3.05x
Burwell 75 25.16x
Cannock 75 3.24x
Bradford 74 0.79x
Kidderminster Borough 74 2.46x
Doncaster 73 2.57x
St Luke London 73 1.16x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mason surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 2,608
Elizabeth 1,537
Sarah 1,398
Ann 812
Jane 781
Eliza 610
Alice 589
Emma 580
Ellen 562
Annie 558
Margaret 447
Hannah 434
Emily 390
Martha 346
Ada 237
Florence 235
Harriet 226
Louisa 224
Maria 222
Charlotte 207
Edith 203
Caroline 200
Clara 184
Fanny 184
Kate 171
Agnes 167
Isabella 159
Lucy 154
Anne 151
Catherine 148
Frances 134
Rose 121
Susan 118
Harriett 113
Amelia 105
Esther 99
Rebecca 98
Matilda 84
Jessie 76
Eleanor 72
Julia 70
Sophia 68
Susannah 67
Gertrude 63
Minnie 63
Elizth. 62
Lydia 62
Amy 61
Ethel 58
Laura 56

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mason surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 2,378
John 2,352
George 1,457
Thomas 1,308
James 1,139
Henry 783
Joseph 719
Charles 688
Robert 486
Edward 447
Richard 387
Arthur 378
Samuel 373
Alfred 336
Frederick 304
Walter 270
Harry 253
Albert 211
Frank 144
Herbert 135
David 128
Ernest 119
Benjamin 116
Francis 114
Edwin 110
Wm. 110
Thos. 95
Fred 87
Matthew 68
Peter 68
Daniel 61
Isaac 60
Geo. 54
Fredk. 48
Tom 46
Christopher 44
Ralph 40
Mark 38
Percy 38
Sidney 38
Fredrick 37
Hugh 37
Stephen 37
Alexander 35
Chas. 33
Willm. 33
Edmund 32
Enoch 31
Andrew 30
Abraham 29

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mason households.

FAQ

Mason surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mason surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40,247 people were recorded with the Mason surname. That placed it at #75 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mason surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 55,226 in 2016. That gives Mason a modern rank of #83.

What does the Mason surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a skilled craftsman who works with stone.

What does the Mason map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mason bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.