Explore the Family Name Massey
The meaning of Massey
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Massy, a pet form of Matthew. Compare Mace. 2. English (of Norman origin): habitational name from one or more of several places in Normandy, such as Macey (Manche), Massy (Seine-Maritime), Macé-sur-Orne (Orne), and La Ferté Macé (Orne). 3. English: variant of Marsay (see Marcey). 4. Altered form of French Massé (see Masse 3). 5. Altered form of southern French Massa: of Italian origin, a habitational name from Massa, the name of several places in (the northern part of) Italy; see Massa.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Massey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Massey saw a slight decline from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the name fell from 568th most popular in 2000 to 610th in 2010, representing a decrease of 7.39%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the surname Massey increased by 4% over the same period, from 53,459 to 55,595. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 individuals, the frequency of the Massey surname dipped by 4.89%, from 19.82 to 18.85.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #568 | #610 | -7.39% |
Count | 53,459 | 55,595 | 4% |
Proportion per 100k | 19.82 | 18.85 | -4.89% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Massey
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Massey, there have been shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In terms of percentages, the largest group identifying as Masseys are of White ethnicity, though there was a slight decrease from 75.41% to 73.18%. Meanwhile, the Black community saw a minor increase from 19.77% to 20.42%. The most significant percentage increase was observed in the Hispanic group, which grew by 58.90% from 1.46% to 2.32%. There were also increases among Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native groups, at 32.50% and 13.83% respectively. Additionally, those identifying with two or more ethnicities rose from 1.61% to 1.96%.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 75.41% | 73.18% | -2.96% |
Black | 19.77% | 20.42% | 3.29% |
Hispanic | 1.46% | 2.32% | 58.9% |
Two or More Races | 1.61% | 1.96% | 21.74% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.94% | 1.07% | 13.83% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.8% | 1.06% | 32.5% |
Massey ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Massey is British & Irish, which comprises 57.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.8%) and Nigerian (3.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
British & Irish | 57.3% |
French & German | 19.8% |
Nigerian | 3.0% |
Other | 19.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Massey
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Massey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.70% |
Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
What Massey haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Massey is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-Z23534, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Maxwell, Moon, Barlow, Fitzpatrick, Prince, Trimble, Whitney, Justice, Mccarthy, Kendrick.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Massey surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Massey have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Traits
Habits
Wellness
Are health conditions linked to the last name Massey?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Massey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition