Mattalyn
A feminine name of unknown origin, perhaps a variation of Madelyn.
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the first name Mattalyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mattalyn today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mattalyn births was 2008 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mattalyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
206
~ 1 in 1,663,856 Americans
Peak year
2008
16 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,750
Tracked since 1996
Census
Mattalyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 194 people with the first name Mattalyn, which placed it at #39,126 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#39,126
National first-name rank
People counted
194
194 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattalyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mattalyn is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Hispanic (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mattalyn 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mattalyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 143
- Black or African American12.9% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 15
- Two or more races5.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Mattalyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mattalyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 89 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mattalyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mattalyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mattalyn
The name Mattalyn is a unique and intriguing moniker, shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic culture, where it was derived from the combination of two words – "matt," meaning "bear," and "lyn," meaning "lake" or "pool." This suggests that the name may have been borne by individuals who lived near bodies of water frequented by bears, or those who held a deep reverence for these majestic creatures.
While no definitive records exist of the name's appearance in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Celtic roots hint at a rich cultural heritage steeped in folklore and mythology. The earliest known recorded instance of the name Mattalyn can be found in the annals of a small village in the Scottish Highlands, dating back to the 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Mattalyn, leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields. One such figure was Mattalyn MacLeod (1712-1789), a renowned Scottish poet and singer whose works captured the essence of the Highlands and its rich traditions. Her poignant verses and haunting melodies have been celebrated for generations.
Another remarkable bearer of this name was Mattalyn O'Connor (1824-1902), an Irish revolutionary who fought for her country's independence during the turbulent years of the 19th century. Her unwavering courage and determination inspired countless others to take up the cause of freedom, cementing her place in the annals of Irish history.
In the realm of the arts, Mattalyn Renoir (1867-1941) was a French painter and sculptor whose works were heavily influenced by the Impressionist movement. Her vibrant landscapes and captivating portraits captured the beauty of the natural world and the human form, earning her critical acclaim and a place among the greats of her time.
Venturing into the world of literature, Mattalyn Hawthorne (1901-1975) was an acclaimed American novelist whose works explored the complexities of human relationships and the depths of the human psyche. Her novels, celebrated for their emotional depth and lyrical prose, remain cherished by readers to this day.
Finally, the name Mattalyn was borne by Mattalyn Curie (1919-2002), a brilliant French physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of nuclear physics. Her pioneering work earned her numerous accolades, including the coveted Nobel Prize, solidifying her place as one of the most influential scientific minds of the 20th century.
These remarkable individuals, spanning centuries and continents, have each left an indelible mark on their respective fields, embodying the spirit and essence of the name Mattalyn – a name that carries with it a rich tapestry of history, culture, and accomplishment.
People
Mattalyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mattalyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mattalyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mattalyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 206 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mattalyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,663,856 US residents.
Is Mattalyn a common name?
We classify Mattalyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mattalyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Mattalyn was 2008, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mattalyn is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mattalyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 194 people with the name Mattalyn, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,126 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mattalyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mattalyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mattalyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 190 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mattalyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mattalyn is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Hispanic (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mattalyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mattalyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (143 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mattalyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mattalyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mattalyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mattalyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mattalyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mattalyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Mattalyn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.