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Mason Family History

Mason Surname Meaning

English: occupational name from Middle English masoun ‘mason stone worker builder in stone’ (Old Central French maçon masson). A Middle English form machun (derived from Old French machun) gives rise to Machin and its variants. See also Mayson. Stonemasonry was a hugely important craft in the Middle Ages.

Italian (Veneto): variant of Masone. Altered form of French Masson.

French: topographic name from a regional variant of maison ‘house’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Mason family from?

You can see how Mason families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mason family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mason families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 400 Mason families living in New York. This was about 15% of all the recorded Mason's in USA. New York had the highest population of Mason families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mason surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Mason ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Mason. 17% of Mason men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Mason women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mason were Truck Driver and Teacher.

View Census Data for Mason | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    17%
  • Farmer
    13%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%

What Mason family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Mason. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mason census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Mason

Passenger Lists

There are 156,000 immigration records available for the last name Mason. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Mason immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 224,000 military records available for the last name Mason. For the veterans among your Mason ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mason military records

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