Mati
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "earth" or "clay".
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the first name Mati. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 51.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Mati today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mati births was 2013 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mati. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mati with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
138
~ 1 in 2,483,727 Americans
Peak year
2013
14 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,475
Tracked since 2001
Census
Mati in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 481 people with the first name Mati, which placed it at #21,195 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,195
National first-name rank
People counted
481
481 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mati
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mati is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Black (16.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mati described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mati at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino17.5% · 84
- Black or African American16.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.6% · 56
- Two or more races4.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Mati
Mati is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 139 total registrations, 67 (48.2%) were male and 72 (51.8%) were female.
Mati as a male name
- Ranked #13,475 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (10 births)
Mati as a female name
- Ranked #16,856 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2013 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mati on both sides of the split. Of the 480 people counted with this name, 224 were male (46.7%) and 256 were female (53.3%).
Popularity
Mati: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mati from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 70 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mati remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mati by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mati during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mati
The name Mati is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, with its roots dating back to ancient India. It is derived from the word "mati," which translates to "mind" or "intellect." This name carries a deep spiritual and philosophical connotation, reflecting the reverence for knowledge and wisdom in the Indian culture.
During the Vedic period, around 1500-500 BCE, the name Mati was often used as a reference to one's mental faculties and intellectual abilities. It was closely associated with the concept of "prajna," which signified the highest level of wisdom and enlightenment. In Hindu mythology, Mati is also mentioned as the name of a minor deity, representing the personification of intellect and reason.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mati can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a character. This epic, composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE, is considered a significant literary work that has shaped Indian culture and philosophy for centuries.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mati. One such individual was Mati Gholamali Qajar, a Persian prince and poet who lived during the 19th century (1783-1824). His literary works, particularly his ghazals, were widely acclaimed and contributed to the rich cultural heritage of Persia.
Another prominent figure was Mati Buhag, a Filipino revolutionary and military leader who played a crucial role in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century (1856-1899). His bravery and leadership during the struggle for independence earned him a place in Philippine history.
In the realm of science, Mati Unt (1944-2005) was an Estonian mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical computer science. His work on formal languages and automata theory has been widely recognized and influential.
The name Mati also found its way into the world of art and literature. Mati Klarwein (1932-2002) was a German-born artist and musician known for his unique style of visionary and surrealistic paintings. His works often explored spiritual and metaphysical themes, reflecting his interest in various philosophical and religious traditions.
Lastly, Mati Alaoui (1926-1994) was a Moroccan linguist and scholar who dedicated his life to the study and preservation of the Amazigh (Berber) language and culture. His contributions to the documentation and promotion of this ancient language have been invaluable in preserving the rich linguistic heritage of North Africa.
People
Mati + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mati as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mati: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mati?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 138 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mati going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,483,727 US residents.
Is Mati a common name?
We classify Mati as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mati most popular?
The single biggest year for Mati was 2013, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mati is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mati in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 481 people with the name Mati, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,195 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mati in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mati?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mati on both sides of the split. Of the 480 people counted with this name, 224 were male (46.7%) and 256 were female (53.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mati?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mati is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Black (16.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mati most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mati in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (239 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mati in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mati a female name?
Yes, 51.8% of people registered as Mati in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mati still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mati in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mati can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Mati?
Want to know how many people share the name Mati? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.