Masiah is likely influenced by Messiah, from Hebrew mashiach meaning "anointed one."
Masiah is a variant form of Maasiah (also rendered Maaseiah), a Hebrew name appearing numerous times in the Old Testament and meaning 'work of the Lord' or 'refuge in the Lord,' from the roots *ma'aseh* (work, deed) and *Yah* (the divine name). It was borne by several figures in the Hebrew Bible — a temple gatekeeper, a priest during the time of Nehemiah, and an officer in the court of King Uzziah of Judah. These were not kings or patriarchs but functionaries and servants of religious life, which gives the name a humble, devoted character distinct from more celebrated biblical names.
Over centuries the name moved through Jewish communities and, less commonly, into Christian usage wherever deep engagement with the Hebrew text inspired parents to reach past the familiar names of Genesis and the Gospels. The Masiah spelling, losing a syllable from Maaseiah, reflects the natural compression names undergo as they travel across languages and centuries — the same process that turned Johannes into John and Yeshua into Jesus. The result sounds both ancient and accessible to English-speaking ears.
In the modern naming landscape Masiah sits at an interesting intersection: it carries authentic scriptural weight, unlike invented names that merely sound biblical, yet it is unfamiliar enough that most people will not have a pre-formed image attached to it. Parents who choose it often have strong faith commitments and a wish to honor the Hebrew tradition specifically. The name's meaning — a life understood as the work and refuge of God — gives it a quietly profound quality that wears well across a lifetime.