 The genus name was attributed to Carl Peter Thunberg by Maarten Houttuyn in 1780.It honours the Scottish botanist and gardener Francis Masson.A molecular phylogenetic study showed "Massonia" to be monophyletic, but also that the two species of the genus "Whiteheadia" were placed separately at the base of the "Massonia" clade, rendering "Whiteheadia" paraphyletic.