Show ContentsMass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Mass can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Piedmont. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Mass came from the first-name Maso, which is the short form of the personal name Tommaso. The name Tommaso, or Thomas, is itself derived from the Aramaic "toma" which means "twin".

Early Origins of the Mass family

The surname Mass was first found in Piedmont (Italian: Piemonte, Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont) in the 13th century where early records show the Masini family, decedents of a long line of counts, lived and whose members included Oddone, elected captain of the commune in 1284, and Oddonnino, governor of a town, Vercelli, in 1290.

Early History of the Mass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mass research. The years 1383 and 1401 are included under the topic Early Mass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mass Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Mass include Masella, Maselli, Masellis, Masetti, Masetto, Masi, Masiello, Masillo, Masin, Masina, Masini, Masino, Masiol, Maso, Masolini, Masolo, Mason, Masoni, Masotti, Masselli, Massetti, Massini, Masucci, Masuccio, Masulli, Masullo, Masutti, Masutto and many more.

Early Notables of the Mass family

Prominent among members of the family was members of the Mass family from the Piedmontese tradition include Tommaso Guidi Masaccio, who was born in 1401, and is a painter known as the Father of Modern Art. He was a member of the Florentine school, and has works from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. He was a student of Masolino and under this master, aided in the frescoing of two churches: San Clemente in Rome and the Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine at Florence. The Brancacci...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mass Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mass Ranking

In the United States, the name Mass is the 18,100th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Mass migration to the United States +

Immigrants bearing the name Mass or a variant listed above include:

Mass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Mass, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 [2]
  • Freiderick Mass, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 [2]
  • Jacob Mass, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 [2]
  • Johan Adam Mass, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 [2]
  • Johannes Mass, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1767 [2]
Mass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mariette Mass, aged 50, who landed in New York in 1849 [2]
  • Antoine Mass, aged 8, who landed in New York in 1849 [2]
  • Vutro Mass, aged 54, who landed in New York in 1849 [2]
  • D Mass, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [2]
  • Pierre Mass, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1853 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mass Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • F A Mass, who arrived in Mississippi in 1906 [2]

Canada Mass migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mass Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Mass, aged 57, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Mercator" from Sunderland, England
  • Ann Mass, aged 67, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Mercator" from Sunderland, England
  • Anthony Mass, aged 28, a pitman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Mercator" from Sunderland, England
  • Mary Ann Mass, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Mercator" from Sunderland, England
  • Mary Mass, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Mercator" from Sunderland, England
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mass (post 1700) +

  • Wayne R. Mass (1946-2019), American football offensive tackle who played five seasons in the National Football League
  • Vincent T. Mass, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 15th District, 1968 [3]
  • Mike Mass, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 2000 [3]
  • Ken E. Mass, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 2000, 2008 [3]
  • Isaac Mass, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 2008 [3]
  • Ernest Mass, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2004 [3]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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