Why do lodges keep member lists private, and what have records revealed?
Research question: What have Grand Lodges and court or FOIA records revealed about who is a member, and why do most membership rolls stay private?
The verified facts include no court or FOIA records about membership, so they only partly answer the question. The Grand Lodge of Kentucky says it has over 25,000 Masons in the state and publishes that figure on its own website 4. Older counts appear in the press: a 1919 Great Falls report said the city had fully 1,000 Blue Lodge members and tied the count to upcoming reports to the grand lodge 3, and an 1889 article put worldwide membership above a million, with about 550,000 in the United States 6. The Kentucky Grand Lodge says its reticence about membership reflects a tradition of not advertising its work, not a desire for secrecy 5, and Kentucky Masons do not solicit new members, requiring two recommendations and a unanimous ballot 9. The newest dated fact is from 1999, and the Kentucky figures are undated, so none of these facts reflects current October 2026 membership 14.
Sources
"In 1921 an approach was made to Grand Lodge for recognition by the 'Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Masonry'; in a reply starting for obvious reasons 'Dear Madam' the Grand Secretary made it plain that the admission of women was utterly foreign to the original plan of Freemasonry to which English Freemasons had adhered from time immemorial."Dame Masons: Women and Freemasonry (1999)
"He added that the Board would continue to take disciplinary action against any English Mason who violated his Obligation by being present or assisting in assemblies 'professing to be Masonic which are attended by women'. On both counts Grand Lodge gave the Board it full support."Dame Masons: Women and Freemasonry (1999)
"Now Fully 1000 Blue Lodge Members in City"Image 6 of Great Falls daily tribune (Great Falls, Mont.), July 6, 1919
"The over 25,000 Masons of Kentucky welcome you to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky Free and Accepted Masons site."The Grand Lodge of Kentucky F. & A.M.
"It is not that we want to be secretive, but our tradition is to not be flamboyant or advertise our good works."The Grand Lodge of Kentucky F. & A.M.
"There are over a million Freemasons scat scattered - tered scattered over tho world and of this number 550000 reside in the United States"Image 6 of The Salt Lake herald (Salt Lake City [Utah]), May 4, 1889
"It is our hope that this site will serve to remove some of the shroud of mystery associated with Masonry."The Grand Lodge of Kentucky F. & A.M.
"the former eliminated from their Jaw tho prerequisite of a belief in God before a man could bo mado a Mason"Image 6 of The Salt Lake herald (Salt Lake City [Utah]), May 4, 1889
"Masons in Kentucky do not solicit for membership, we wait for the man to ask for a petition."The Grand Lodge of Kentucky F. & A.M.
"There no grand master of the United States each grand lodgo having jurisdiction over the territory circumscribed by the state in which it is located"Image 6 of The Salt Lake herald (Salt Lake City [Utah]), May 4, 1889