Find out how popular the last name Mata is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mata.

Mata, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mata surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mata in America

Mata is the 724th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mata surname appeared 48,120 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Mata.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mata to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mata

The surname Mata originated in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "mata," which means "bush" or "shrub." It is believed that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a bush or wooded area.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mata can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Spain, such as Catalonia, Aragon, and Castile. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sancho Mata, a nobleman from Navarre, who was mentioned in a document dated 1178.

In the 13th century, the name Mata appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book listed several place names derived from the word "mata," indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in different parts of Spain.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, many individuals with the surname Mata migrated to the New World, contributing to the spread of the name across various regions of Latin America, particularly in Mexico, Cuba, and Peru.

Notable individuals with the surname Mata throughout history include:

1. Juan de Mata Carrillo (1597-1629), a Spanish priest and missionary who worked in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
2. Gregorio de Mata y Muñoz (1687-1742), a Spanish painter known for his religious and historical works.
3. José Antonio de la Mata Linares (1808-1890), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Second Mexican Empire.
4. Manuel Mata (1842-1898), a Cuban patriot and military leader who played a significant role in the Cuban War of Independence against Spain.
5. Joaquín Álvarez Quintero (1873-1944), a Spanish playwright and novelist, whose mother's maiden name was Mata.

The surname Mata has also been associated with various place names, such as Matamoros (a city in Tamaulipas, Mexico), and Matanzas (a city in Cuba), both of which derive from the Spanish word "mata" and other related terms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mata

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mata.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mata was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mata has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mata was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mata, please contact us.

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