2000
#47,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 425
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Matlin
A locational surname derived from the French placename Matlin or Maslin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 415 Americans carry the last name Matlin. That puts it at #60,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 825,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matlin 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.
Bearers in the US
415
1 in 825,914
Census rank
#60,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
362
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 362 bearers of the surname Matlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matlin
The surname Matlin is believed to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany in the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "mattin" meaning "worthy" or "estimable," and "lind" meaning "soft" or "gentle." Thus, the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone with a kind and gentle demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the chronicles of the Abbey of St. Gall, which date back to the 9th century. Here, a monk by the name of Matelinus is mentioned as a respected scholar and scribe. Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Matlin, Matlind, and Matlinger appearing in various records and documents.
In the 13th century, the Matlin name can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Johannes Matlin is listed as a merchant and landowner. This suggests that the family had achieved a certain level of prosperity and social standing by that time.
The name also appears in the annals of the Teutonic Knights, a military order that played a significant role in the Crusades. In 1271, a knight named Konrad Matlin is recorded as having participated in the siege of Acre, a key battle in the Eighth Crusade.
Another notable figure with the Matlin surname was Hans Matlin, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 15th century. His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded in his time and can still be found in museums and private collections across Europe.
In the 16th century, the Matlin name gained further prominence with the birth of Johannes Matlin, a renowned mathematician and astronomer. Born in Nuremberg in 1519, Matlin made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and celestial mechanics, and his writings were widely studied by scholars of his era.
As the centuries passed, the Matlin name spread across various regions of Europe, with branches of the family settling in areas such as Switzerland, Austria, and even as far as England and Scotland. Prominent individuals bearing the name include Wilhelm Matlin, a Swiss military leader who fought in the Napoleonic Wars (1770-1846), and Sir Robert Matlin, an English industrialist and philanthropist who lived in the late 19th century (1832-1905).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Matlin 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 Matlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 335
- Two or more races2.8% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 7
- Black or African American1.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matlin
Matlin 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
#56,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 359
-66 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 9,810 places
2020
#60,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362
+3 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,026 | 425 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,836 | 359 | 0.12 | -66 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 9,810 places |
| 2020 | #60,172 | 362 | 0.12 | +3 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,336 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 Matlin 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 | #56,836 | #60,172 | -5.9% |
| Count | 359 | 362 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matlin bearers went from 359 to 362 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,836 to #60,172.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Matlin
FAQ
Matlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matlin?
Name Census estimates that about 415 living Americans carry the surname Matlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 825,914 residents.
How common is Matlin?
Matlin ranks #60,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 362 people with the surname Matlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Matlin.
Has Matlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matlin went from 359 recorded bearers to 362. That is an increase of 3 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,836 to #60,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Matlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Matlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Matlin (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 Matlin mean?
A locational surname derived from the French placename Matlin or Maslin. 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 Matlin (0.12 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 are called Matlin?
You can see how many people have the surname Matlin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.