Explore the Family Name Masih
The meaning of Masih
Muslim (mainly the Indian subcontinent) and Arabic: from a personal name based on Arabic masīḥ ‘Messiah’. In the Arab world it is sometimes found in combinations such as ʿAbd-ul Masīḥ ‘servant of the Messiah’. ʿIsa (Jesus) is mentioned as the Messiah and a Prophet in the Koran (4:171). This surname is also found among Christian Arabs. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Javed, Abu, Amir, Aqueel, Ashraf, Aslam, Bashir, Didar, Fazal, Inayat, Jamal, Maqbool. Indian Ajay, Amrit, Anil, Arun, Ashish, Ashok, Lalit, Manjula, Meena, Neelesh, Nirmal, Ravi.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Masih in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Masih has seen notable growth between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname improved drastically from the 36,276th most common name to 24,112th during this period, indicating a significant uptick in its usage. The count of individuals with the Masih surname also surged by around 79.07% to reach a total of 1,044 people in 2010, up from 583 in 2000. This resulted in an increase in the proportion per 100,000 people bearing the Masih surname from 0.22 to 0.35.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,276 | #24,112 | 33.53% |
| Count | 583 | 1,044 | 79.07% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.22 | 0.35 | 59.09% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Masih
Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the largest proportion of individuals with the Masih surname identifies as Asian/Pacific Islander, which increased from 80.45% in 2000 to 86.69% in 2010. Representation in the categories of two or more races and white ethnicity saw decreases of 50.42% and 32.74%, respectively. Notably, there was a small emergence of Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities among those with the Masih surname, although they made up less than 2% each of the total population. Black representation slightly decreased from 1.03% to 0.86%. The changes in these figures underscore the dynamic nature of ethnic identity within the population carrying the Masih surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 80.45% | 86.69% | 7.76% |
| Two or More Races | 10.63% | 5.27% | -50.42% |
| White | 6.69% | 4.5% | -32.74% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.53% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.15% | 0% |
| Black | 1.03% | 0.86% | -16.5% |