2000
#23,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Mate
A surname derived from the Spanish word "mate" meaning friend or companion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,816 Americans carry the last name Mate. That puts it at #17,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 188,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mate surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 188,741
Census rank
#17,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,584 bearers of the surname Mate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mate, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mate
The surname MATE is believed to have originated from Spain in the 16th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "mate," which means "a friend" or "a companion." This term stems from the Latin word "mātēs," which means "comrades" or "allies."
In the early days, the surname MATE was likely bestowed upon individuals who were known for their loyalty, camaraderie, and companionship. It may have been used to describe close friends, trusted allies, or even brothers-in-arms during times of war or conflict.
One of the earliest records of the surname MATE can be found in the archives of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Sobrado, located in Galicia, Spain. This document, dated 1572, mentions a certain Rodrigo MATE, who was a landowner and benefactor of the monastery.
Another notable figure bearing the surname MATE was Juan MATE, a Spanish explorer who accompanied the famous conquistador Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Juan MATE played a crucial role in interpreting and establishing communication between the Spanish and the indigenous populations.
In the 17th century, the surname MATE began to spread across other regions of Spain, as well as to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One prominent individual from this era was Diego MATE, a Spanish-born soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1672 to 1675.
As the surname MATE traveled across the Atlantic, it also found its way to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, a man named James MATE, born in 1759, was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
Another notable figure with the surname MATE was María MATE, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She was known for her intricate etchings and engravings depicting religious and historical scenes.
The surname MATE has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For instance, there is a small town called Mate in the province of Valencia, Spain, which may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mate
Among Census respondents with the surname Mate, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mate bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 1,049
- Hispanic or Latino12.9% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.5% · 182
- Black or African American6.1% · 97
- Two or more races3.0% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mate
Mate appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#23,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,071
+56 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 290 places
2020
#17,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,584
+513 bearers (+47.9%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 6,224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,372 | 1,015 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,662 | 1,071 | 0.36 | +56 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 290 places |
| 2020 | #17,438 | 1,584 | 0.53 | +513 bearers (+47.9%) | Up 6,224 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mate surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #23,662 | #17,438 | 26.3% |
| Count | 1,071 | 1,584 | 47.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.53 | 47.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mate bearers went from 1,071 to 1,584 (+47.9% change). The surname moved up 6,224 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,662 to #17,438.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mate
FAQ
Mate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mate?
Name Census estimates that about 1,816 living Americans carry the surname Mate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 188,741 residents.
How common is Mate?
Mate ranks #17,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,584 people with the surname Mate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mate.
Has Mate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mate went from 1,071 recorded bearers to 1,584. That is an increase of 513 (+47.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,662 to #17,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Mate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mate, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (1,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.2%), Hispanic (12.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mate (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mate mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word "mate" meaning friend or companion. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mate (0.53 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Mate?
Find out how many people have the surname Mate on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.