Mason
Mason was given to 6,291 boys in 2025, #39 among boys’ names; 345,931 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 337,000 Americans named Mason and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (97% of everyone recorded); the median is 14 years old and half are between 9 and 21.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Mason by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Mason mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Mason is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
/ˈmeɪsən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Mason?
#39 among boys’ names, 2025
Mason fell from #3 in 2015 to #39 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 8.7 to 3.7 per 1,000.
19,619 babies in 2011, the peak
Mason peaked in 2011, when 19,619 babies were given it (19,530 boys, #2 among boys’ names). The 6,342 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 32% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,291 | #39 | 3.7 |
| 2024 | 6,492 | #42 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 7,259 | #30 | 4.2 |
| 2022 | 8,051 | #24 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | 9,103 | #18 | 5.2 |
| 2020 | 10,117 | #11 | 5.9 |
| 2019 | 11,484 | #9 | 6.4 |
| 2018 | 12,526 | #9 | 6.9 |
| 2017 | 13,602 | #7 | 7.3 |
| 2016 | 15,287 | #4 | 8.1 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16,675 | #3 | 8.7 |
| 2014 | 17,225 | #3 | 9.0 |
| 2013 | 17,730 | #4 | 9.4 |
| 2012 | 18,994 | #2 | 10.0 |
| 2011 | 19,530 | #2 | 10.3 |
| 2010 | 14,858 | #12 | 7.7 |
| 2009 | 10,696 | #34 | 5.4 |
| 2008 | 10,489 | #35 | 5.1 |
| 2007 | 10,775 | #37 | 5.2 |
| 2006 | 10,414 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 2005 | 9,771 | #42 | 4.9 |
| 2004 | 8,619 | #51 | 4.3 |
| 2003 | 7,897 | #54 | 4.0 |
| 2002 | 7,878 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 2001 | 7,447 | #54 | 3.8 |
| 2000 | 6,516 | #64 | 3.3 |
| 1999 | 5,451 | #71 | 2.8 |
| 1998 | 4,658 | #83 | 2.4 |
| 1997 | 4,268 | #89 | 2.3 |
| 1996 | 3,882 | #104 | 2.0 |
| 1995 | 3,631 | #102 | 1.9 |
| 1994 | 2,802 | #125 | 1.5 |
| 1993 | 2,475 | #137 | 1.3 |
| 1992 | 2,199 | #149 | 1.1 |
| 1991 | 2,035 | #159 | 1.0 |
| 1990 | 1,479 | #208 | 0.72 |
| 1989 | 1,098 | #240 | 0.55 |
| 1988 | 1,026 | #235 | 0.54 |
| 1987 | 818 | #268 | 0.44 |
| 1986 | 651 | #312 | 0.35 |
| 1985 | 456 | #396 | 0.25 |
| 1984 | 278 | #509 | 0.15 |
| 1983 | 242 | #541 | 0.14 |
| 1982 | 327 | #468 | 0.18 |
| 1981 | 309 | #474 | 0.17 |
| 1980 | 336 | #460 | 0.19 |
| 1979 | 318 | #457 | 0.18 |
| 1978 | 267 | #497 | 0.16 |
| 1977 | 260 | #508 | 0.16 |
| 1976 | 249 | #507 | 0.16 |
| 1975 | 307 | #460 | 0.20 |
| 1974 | 268 | #489 | 0.17 |
| 1973 | 151 | #647 | 0.10 |
| 1972 | 132 | #700 | 0.08 |
| 1971 | 166 | #639 | 0.09 |
| 1970 | 178 | #610 | 0.10 |
| 1969 | 156 | #635 | 0.09 |
| 1968 | 102 | #740 | 0.06 |
| 1967 | 87 | #783 | 0.05 |
| 1966 | 90 | #769 | 0.05 |
| 1965 | 73 | #863 | 0.04 |
| 1964 | 98 | #768 | 0.05 |
| 1963 | 94 | #787 | 0.05 |
| 1962 | 89 | #805 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 89 | #810 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 80 | #847 | 0.04 |
| 1959 | 85 | #827 | 0.04 |
| 1958 | 89 | #794 | 0.04 |
| 1957 | 72 | #895 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 92 | #774 | 0.04 |
| 1955 | 98 | #737 | 0.05 |
| 1954 | 70 | #883 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 81 | #795 | 0.04 |
| 1952 | 85 | #764 | 0.04 |
| 1951 | 86 | #758 | 0.05 |
| 1950 | 90 | #724 | 0.05 |
| 1949 | 93 | #714 | 0.05 |
| 1948 | 92 | #697 | 0.05 |
| 1947 | 89 | #730 | 0.05 |
| 1946 | 84 | #714 | 0.05 |
| 1945 | 69 | #741 | 0.05 |
| 1944 | 91 | #655 | 0.07 |
| 1943 | 89 | #680 | 0.06 |
| 1942 | 103 | #622 | 0.07 |
| 1941 | 80 | #687 | 0.07 |
| 1940 | 77 | #691 | 0.07 |
| 1939 | 80 | #665 | 0.07 |
| 1938 | 80 | #679 | 0.07 |
| 1937 | 71 | #720 | 0.07 |
| 1936 | 82 | #641 | 0.08 |
| 1935 | 82 | #661 | 0.08 |
| 1934 | 89 | #635 | 0.09 |
| 1933 | 83 | #635 | 0.08 |
| 1932 | 86 | #661 | 0.08 |
| 1931 | 85 | #646 | 0.08 |
| 1930 | 95 | #631 | 0.09 |
| 1929 | 96 | #624 | 0.09 |
| 1928 | 108 | #596 | 0.10 |
| 1927 | 108 | #598 | 0.10 |
| 1926 | 122 | #557 | 0.11 |
| 1925 | 114 | #590 | 0.10 |
| 1924 | 119 | #584 | 0.11 |
| 1923 | 128 | #543 | 0.12 |
| 1922 | 131 | #552 | 0.12 |
| 1921 | 144 | #517 | 0.13 |
| 1920 | 142 | #513 | 0.13 |
| 1919 | 125 | #533 | 0.13 |
| 1918 | 116 | #562 | 0.11 |
| 1917 | 114 | #551 | 0.12 |
| 1916 | 136 | #486 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 98 | #574 | 0.12 |
| 1914 | 89 | #522 | 0.14 |
| 1913 | 85 | #469 | 0.17 |
| 1912 | 58 | #519 | 0.13 |
| 1911 | 30 | #555 | 0.13 |
| 1910 | 27 | #550 | 0.14 |
| 1909 | 16 | #700 | 0.10 |
| 1908 | 27 | #482 | 0.17 |
| 1907 | 22 | #502 | 0.15 |
| 1906 | 20 | #513 | 0.15 |
| 1905 | 22 | #488 | 0.17 |
| 1904 | 20 | #486 | 0.16 |
| 1903 | 21 | #463 | 0.18 |
| 1902 | 24 | #422 | 0.20 |
| 1901 | 15 | #522 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 32 | #398 | 0.21 |
| 1899 | 19 | #431 | 0.18 |
| 1898 | 15 | #560 | 0.12 |
| 1897 | 23 | #397 | 0.20 |
| 1896 | 18 | #492 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 19 | #467 | 0.16 |
| 1894 | 18 | #474 | 0.16 |
| 1893 | 12 | #596 | 0.11 |
| 1892 | 20 | #437 | 0.16 |
| 1891 | 11 | #578 | 0.11 |
| 1890 | 16 | #475 | 0.14 |
| 1889 | 21 | #400 | 0.19 |
| 1888 | 14 | #542 | 0.12 |
| 1887 | 13 | #505 | 0.13 |
| 1886 | 18 | #424 | 0.16 |
| 1885 | 15 | #493 | 0.14 |
| 1884 | 14 | #517 | 0.12 |
| 1883 | 12 | #547 | 0.11 |
| 1882 | 12 | #567 | 0.11 |
| 1881 | 13 | #497 | 0.13 |
| 1880 | 22 | #371 | 0.20 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Mason a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Mason has been given almost only to boys: 3,348 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Mason: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Mason, and how old are they?
337,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 97% of the 345,931 Americans ever recorded as Mason. The median Mason alive today is 14 years old; half are between 9 and 21.
The 2020 Census counted 269,852 people named Mason (3,128 women and girls, 266,724 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 293,620 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 290 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,090 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 2,820 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 23,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 158,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 152,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Mason born?
The states with the most babies named Mason are California, Texas and New York, with 26% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 657 | #53 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 577 | #64 | 0.8× |
| New York | 416 | #26 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 381 | #46 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 267 | #32 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 241 | #37 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 240 | #32 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 213 | #25 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 198 | #47 | 0.8× |
| New Jersey | 194 | #38 | 0.8× |
Where Mason is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Mason is most over-represented in Wisconsin: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Mason with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 364,712 babies since 1880, Mason is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,342 of their 6,840 babies (93%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Mason
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Mason and names like it
- Compare Mason and MaysonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sMason peaked in 2011.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Mason since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Mason: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2011The year the most babies were named Mason.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Mason alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with MMost given first.