2000
#14,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Matthes
A Germanic surname meaning "son of Matthew".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,013 Americans carry the last name Matthes. That puts it at #15,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 170,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matthes 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 Matthes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 170,270
Census rank
#15,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,755 bearers of the surname Matthes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matthes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matthes
The surname Matthes is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the ancient German personal name Matthias, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Mattithyahu, meaning "gift of God." The name likely emerged in the regions of modern-day Germany and surrounding areas during the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matthes can be found in the Franconian Codex, a 14th-century manuscript from the Franconian region of Germany. This document mentions a certain "Henrich Matthes" who lived in the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) around the year 1350.
The Matthes name also appears in several other historical records from various parts of Germany, such as the Würzburg Annals from the 15th century, which mention a "Hans Matthes" who was a merchant in the city of Würzburg.
In the 16th century, the Matthes surname began to spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe, particularly to the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One notable figure from this time was Pieter Matthes (1500-1570), a Dutch painter and engraver who is known for his portraits and religious works.
As the name continued to spread and evolve, various spellings emerged, such as Mattheis, Mattheis, and Mattheis. One example of this variation is found in the records of the University of Heidelberg, which list a "Johannes Mattheis" as a student in the year 1612.
Another noteworthy individual with the Matthes surname was Johann Matthes (1650-1719), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of Saxe-Weimar. His compositions were widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Matthes name can be found in places like the United States, where German immigrants brought the surname with them. One such individual was Carl Matthes (1811-1892), a German-American entrepreneur and businessman who founded a successful brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matthes
Among Census respondents with the surname Matthes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Matthes 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 Matthes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,587
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 49
- Black or African American1.5% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matthes
Matthes 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
#15,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
+25 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 861 places
2020
#15,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,755
-115 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 344 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,764 | 1,845 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,625 | 1,870 | 0.63 | +25 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 861 places |
| 2020 | #15,969 | 1,755 | 0.59 | -115 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 344 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 Matthes 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 | #15,625 | #15,969 | -2.2% |
| Count | 1,870 | 1,755 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.59 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matthes bearers went from 1,870 to 1,755 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 344 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,625 to #15,969.
FAQ
Matthes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matthes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,013 living Americans carry the surname Matthes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 170,270 residents.
How common is Matthes?
Matthes ranks #15,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,755 people with the surname Matthes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Matthes.
Has Matthes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matthes went from 1,870 recorded bearers to 1,755. That is a decrease of 115 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,625 to #15,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Matthes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matthes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Matthes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matthes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Matthes (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 Matthes mean?
A Germanic surname meaning "son of Matthew". 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 Matthes (0.59 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 surname Matthes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.