2000
#3,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.07
Rare Last name
Mathias
A surname derived from the given name Matthew, which means "gift of God" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,725 Americans carry the last name Mathias. That puts it at #4,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mathias 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 Mathias with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,245
Census rank
#4,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,481 bearers of the surname Mathias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathias, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mathias
The surname Mathias originated in Ancient Greece, derived from the Hebrew name "Mattithyahu," which means "gift of God." It is believed to have been introduced to Europe during the spread of Christianity in the early centuries AD.
Mathias is a variant spelling of the name Matthias, which was the name of one of the twelve apostles in the New Testament. This apostolic connection likely contributed to the name's early popularity and spread throughout the Christian world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mathias can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already been established in parts of Europe by the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Mathias was particularly prevalent in Germany, France, and parts of Eastern Europe. It was often associated with religious figures and scholars, such as Mathias Flacius Illyricus (1520-1575), a prominent Lutheran reformer and theologian from Croatia.
In England, the surname Mathias has been documented as early as the 13th century, with records showing individuals like Richard Mathias, who lived in Somerset in 1275. The name was also found in various place names, such as Mathias Croft in Yorkshire, which was mentioned in records from the 14th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Mathias throughout history include:
1. Sir Rhys Mathias (c. 1553-1624), a Welsh politician and member of Parliament.
2. Benjamin Mathias (1634-1696), an English clergyman and author.
3. Thomas James Mathias (1766-1835), an English poet and satirist.
4. Adolphe Mathias (1812-1896), a French lawyer and writer.
5. Alphonse Mathias (1855-1923), a French politician and statesman.
The surname Mathias has been carried across continents and cultures, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse regions where it has been adopted. While its roots can be traced back to ancient times, the name Mathias continues to resonate as a reminder of its biblical and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathias
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathias, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mathias 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 Mathias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 6,914
- Black or African American5.6% · 474
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 454
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 292
- Two or more races3.2% · 269
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mathias
Mathias 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
#4,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,851
+565 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#4,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,481
-370 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,939 | 8,286 | 3.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,014 | 8,851 | 3.00 | +565 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #4,060 | 8,481 | 2.84 | -370 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 46 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 Mathias 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 | #4,014 | #4,060 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,851 | 8,481 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 2.84 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mathias bearers went from 8,851 to 8,481 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,014 to #4,060.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mathias
FAQ
Mathias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mathias?
Name Census estimates that about 9,725 living Americans carry the surname Mathias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,245 residents.
How common is Mathias?
Mathias ranks #4,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,481 people with the surname Mathias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mathias.
Has Mathias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mathias went from 8,851 recorded bearers to 8,481. That is a decrease of 370 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,014 to #4,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Mathias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathias, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Mathias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (6,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mathias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Mathias (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 Mathias mean?
A surname derived from the given name Matthew, which means "gift of God" in Hebrew. 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 Mathias (2.84 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 common is the surname Mathias?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mathias at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.