Mason Name Meaning

baby boy

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What Does Mason Mean?

Are you looking for a traditional, masculine name that has increased in popularity in recent decades? Consider using the name Mason.

Mason was originally an English word meaning a tradesman or artisan who works in stone. It became a family name indicating someone worked in this profession and later was used as a given name.

  • Origin: The word mason (“stone-worker”) is derived from the Old French “masson.” It was used as a surname and then as a given name.
  • Gender: Although Mason is traditionally a masculine name, in recent decades it has been used for both boys and girls.
  • Pronunciation: MAY-son

Although baby names are often separated by gender, Verywell Family believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select the name that you feel is best suited for your new baby.

How Popular Is the Name Mason?

The name Mason began rising in popularity in the 1980s, and it has been one of the top 100 boy names in the U.S. since 1997. It broke into the top 50 for the first time in 2005 and kept rising, reaching its peak at No. 2 in 2011 and 2012. Mason remained one of the top 10 boy names in America until 2019. In 2020 Mason ranked No. 11 for boys' names in the U.S.

Although the name Mason is typically used as a masculine name, it can certainly be used however you see fit.

Similar Names

Though “Mason” is the traditional English spelling, variant spellings such as Macen, Maison, Masen, and Mayson are sometimes seen.

Other names derived from occupational surnames:

  • Archer
  • Baker
  • Carter
  • Clark
  • Cooper
  • Fisher
  • Hunter
  • Parker
  • Potter
  • Sawyer
  • Taylor

Other boy names starting with M:

  • Malcolm
  • Mark
  • Marlon
  • Martin
  • Matthew
  • Maxwell
  • Micah
  • Michael
  • Miles
  • Milo
  • Milton

Suggested Sibling Names

  • Aiden
  • Chloe
  • Daniel
  • Emma
  • Ethan
  • Isabella
  • Jacob
  • Mia
  • Noah
  • Sophia

Famous People Named Mason

There have been a number of notable people named Mason. These include: 

  • Mason Adams, American actor known for his roles in early radio and on the TV series “Lou Grant”
  • Mason Aguirre, American snowboarder who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics
  • Mason Bates, Grammy Award-winning American composer of symphonic music
  • Mason Chamberlin, English portrait painter who was a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts
  • Mason Cole, American football player who plays for the Minnesota Vikings
  • Mason Crosby, American football player who plays for the Green Bay Packers
  • Mason Daring, American musician who composed the scores for such films as “Lone Star,” “The Opposite of Sex,” and “Where the Heart Is”
  • Mason Durell Betha, American rapper known professionally as “Mase”
  • Mason Gaffney, American economist known for his criticism of neoclassical economics
  • Mason Gamble, American child actor who played the title role in the 1993 film “Dennis the Menace”
  • Mason Welch Gross, American TV quiz show personality and academic who served as President of Rutgers University
  • Mason Hammond, American educator and scholar known as a prominent expert on Latin and the history of Rome
  • Mason Jennings, American folk-pop singer-songwriter
  • Mason Mastroianni, American comic artist who took over the “B.C.” and “Wizard of Id” comic strips created by his grandfather, Johnny Hart
  • Mason Musso, American singer-songwriter and musician who is the lead singer for the pop-rock band Metro Station
  • Mason Patrick, U.S. Army general who was the first Chief of the Army Air Corps
  • Mason Phelps, American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics
  • Mason Rudolph, American professional golfer who won five times on the PGA Tour
  • Brett Mason Rudolph III, American football player who is quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Mason Schreck, American football player for the Cincinnati Bengals
  • Mason Shefa, American avant-garde filmmaker and music composer
  • Mason S. Stone, American educator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
  • Mason Tobin, American baseball player who pitched for the Texas Rangers
  • Mason Unck, American football player who was a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns
  • Mason Williams, American musician and comedy writer, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and as a writer for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and “Saturday Night Live”

More Baby Names

Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:

1 Source
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Social Security Administration. Popular baby names.

By Wendy Wisner
Wendy Wisner is a lactation consultant and writer covering maternal/child health, parenting, general health and wellness, and mental health. She has worked with breastfeeding parents for over a decade, and is a mom to two boys.