2000
#907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,888
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.93
Uncommon Last name
Mata
A Spanish and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who kills or slaughters animals, derived from "matar" meaning "to kill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,910 Americans carry the last name Mata. That puts it at #715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,358 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mata 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 Mata with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,358
Census rank
#715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,012 bearers of the surname Mata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mata
Among Census respondents with the surname Mata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mata 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 Mata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 42,470
- White5.7% · 2,684
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 1,174
- Two or more races0.6% · 288
- Black or African American0.5% · 223
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 173
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mata
Mata 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
#724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,120
+13,232 bearers (+37.9%)
Per 100,000 16.31
Rank movement Up 183 places
2020
#715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,012
-1,108 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 15.73
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #907 | 34,888 | 12.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #724 | 48,120 | 16.31 | +13,232 bearers (+37.9%) | Up 183 places |
| 2020 | #715 | 47,012 | 15.73 | -1,108 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 9 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 Mata 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 | #724 | #715 | 1.2% |
| Count | 48,120 | 47,012 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 16.31 | 15.73 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mata bearers went from 48,120 to 47,012 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #724 to #715.
FAQ
Mata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mata?
Name Census estimates that about 53,910 living Americans carry the surname Mata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,358 residents.
How common is Mata?
Mata ranks #715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,012 people with the surname Mata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Mata.
Has Mata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mata went from 48,120 recorded bearers to 47,012. That is a decrease of 1,108 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #724 to #715.
What does the Census say about the background of Mata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mata, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (42,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Mata (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 Mata mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who kills or slaughters animals, derived from "matar" meaning "to kill." 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 Mata (15.73 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 common is the surname Mata?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mata? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.