2000
#11,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,643
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Matamoros
A Spanish surname meaning "Moor-slayer," referring to someone who fought against the Moors during the Reconquista.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,017 Americans carry the last name Matamoros. That puts it at #7,342 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matamoros 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
5.0K
1 in 68,319
Census rank
#7,342
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,375 bearers of the surname Matamoros in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7342nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matamoros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matamoros
The surname Matamoros originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Extremadura. It can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the Spanish phrase "matar moros," which translates to "kill Moors." This phrase was likely used as a war cry during the Reconquista, the period of conflict between Christian and Muslim forces in the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Matamoros can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Christian settlers in the city of Seville after its conquest from the Moors.
During the 15th century, the Matamoros name appeared in various historical records, including the Libro de Repartimiento de Antequera, which documented the settlement of Antequera, a town in Andalusia, after its reconquest in 1410.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Matamoros was Diego Matamoros, a Spanish humanist and scholar born in Seville in 1520. He was renowned for his expertise in classical literature and his contributions to the field of rhetoric.
Another prominent individual with the Matamoros surname was Juan Matamoros, a Spanish military leader and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippines in the late 16th century. He served under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi and played a crucial role in the establishment of Spanish rule in the archipelago.
In the 17th century, the Matamoros name was associated with the town of Matamoros, located in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. This town was founded in 1688 and named after the nearby Matamoros Lagoon, which itself may have been named after an individual with the Matamoros surname.
During the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Matamoros surname was José Matamoros, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Venezuelan provinces of Cumaná and Guayana. He played a significant role in the defense of these territories against British and Dutch forces during the colonial era.
In the 19th century, the Matamoros surname gained prominence with the Mexican revolutionary leader Mariano Matamoros, who fought against Spanish rule in the Mexican War of Independence. He was born in 1770 and executed by the Spanish authorities in 1814 for his involvement in the revolutionary cause.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matamoros
Among Census respondents with the surname Matamoros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Matamoros 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 Matamoros surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 4,085
- White5.1% · 222
- Black or African American0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
- Two or more races0.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matamoros
Matamoros 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
#8,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,044
+1,401 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 2,829 places
2020
#7,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,375
+331 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,035 | 2,643 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,206 | 4,044 | 1.37 | +1,401 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 2,829 places |
| 2020 | #7,342 | 4,375 | 1.46 | +331 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 864 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 Matamoros 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 | #8,206 | #7,342 | 10.5% |
| Count | 4,044 | 4,375 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.46 | 6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matamoros bearers went from 4,044 to 4,375 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 864 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,206 to #7,342.
FAQ
Matamoros surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matamoros?
Name Census estimates that about 5,017 living Americans carry the surname Matamoros. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,319 residents.
How common is Matamoros?
Matamoros ranks #7,342 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,375 people with the surname Matamoros. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,017), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Matamoros.
Has Matamoros become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matamoros went from 4,044 recorded bearers to 4,375. That is an increase of 331 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,206 to #7,342.
What does the Census say about the background of Matamoros?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matamoros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Matamoros in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (4,085 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matamoros appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.1%), Black (0.7%). 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 Matamoros (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 Matamoros mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "Moor-slayer," referring to someone who fought against the Moors during the Reconquista. 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 Matamoros (1.46 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 Matamoros?
See how many people have the surname Matamoros on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.