2000
#16,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Mattei
A surname derived from the given name Matthew or Matteo, meaning "gift of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,289 Americans carry the last name Mattei. That puts it at #14,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,740 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattei 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
2.3K
1 in 149,740
Census rank
#14,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,996 bearers of the surname Mattei in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattei, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattei
The surname Mattei is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Tuscany. It is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian personal name Matteo, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Matityahu, meaning "gift of God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mattei surname can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript that documents the history and customs of the Aztec people. This suggests that individuals bearing this name may have been among the early Italian explorers and settlers in the Americas.
The Mattei family was prominent in Florence during the Renaissance period. One notable figure was Alessandro Mattei (1504-1600), a wealthy banker and patron of the arts who commissioned works from renowned artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo.
Another prominent individual with the Mattei surname was Girolamo Mattei (1547-1603), a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Camerino and later as the Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina. He played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation and was known for his strict adherence to Church doctrine.
In the 18th century, Antonio Mattei (1744-1832) was an Italian physicist and mathematician who made important contributions to the study of electricity and magnetism. He was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei, one of the oldest scientific academies in the world.
The Mattei surname can also be found in other parts of Italy, such as the island of Sicily. One notable figure from this region was Giuseppe Mattei (1808-1865), a Sicilian revolutionary and patriot who fought for the unification of Italy during the Risorgimento movement.
Throughout history, the Mattei surname has been associated with various professions, including banking, the clergy, academia, and politics. While the name has maintained its Italian roots, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattei
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattei, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattei 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 Mattei surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 1,381
- Hispanic or Latino26.8% · 534
- Two or more races2.2% · 44
- Black or African American1.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattei
Mattei 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
#15,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,830
+166 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 127 places
2020
#14,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,996
+166 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 1,475 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,016 | 1,664 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,889 | 1,830 | 0.62 | +166 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 127 places |
| 2020 | #14,414 | 1,996 | 0.67 | +166 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 1,475 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 Mattei 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 | #15,889 | #14,414 | 9.3% |
| Count | 1,830 | 1,996 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.67 | 7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattei bearers went from 1,830 to 1,996 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 1,475 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,889 to #14,414.
FAQ
Mattei surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattei?
Name Census estimates that about 2,289 living Americans carry the surname Mattei. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,740 residents.
How common is Mattei?
Mattei ranks #14,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,996 people with the surname Mattei. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,289), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Mattei.
Has Mattei become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattei went from 1,830 recorded bearers to 1,996. That is an increase of 166 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,889 to #14,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattei?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattei, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mattei in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (1,381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattei appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.2%), Hispanic (26.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mattei (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 Mattei mean?
A surname derived from the given name Matthew or Matteo, meaning "gift of God". 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 Mattei (0.67 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 Americans have the surname Mattei?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.