2000
#17,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Matarazzo
An Italian occupational surname derived from the Latin word for mallet, referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,658 Americans carry the last name Matarazzo. That puts it at #18,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 206,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matarazzo 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
1.7K
1 in 206,728
Census rank
#18,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,446 bearers of the surname Matarazzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matarazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matarazzo
The surname Matarazzo originated in Italy, specifically from the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. The name is derived from the Italian word "matarazzo," which means "mattress maker" or "maker of mattresses." This occupational surname is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Matarazzo can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the year 1204. In these records, a person named Jacobus Matarazzo is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in the region during that time.
The Matarazzo surname has also been documented in various other historical records, such as the Rationes Decimarum Italiae, a tax record from the late 13th century. This suggests that the Matarazzo family was established and involved in the mattress-making trade during the medieval period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Niccolò Matarazzo (born around 1435) lived in the city of Perugia. He was a prominent merchant and author who wrote a chronicle known as the "Cronaca di Niccolò Matarazzo," which provides valuable insights into the social and political life of Perugia during the Renaissance.
Another prominent individual with the Matarazzo surname was Francesco Matarazzo (1443-1518), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor from Siena. He was responsible for designing and constructing several significant buildings, including the Palazzo Piccolomini in Pienza.
During the 16th century, the Matarazzo family established themselves in the Kingdom of Naples, where they became involved in various commercial and banking activities. One notable member was Girolamo Matarazzo (1520-1585), a wealthy banker and merchant who played a crucial role in the economic affairs of the region.
In the 19th century, the Matarazzo surname gained prominence in Brazil, where several members of the family emigrated and established successful businesses. One of the most notable figures was Francesco Matarazzo (1854-1937), an Italian-Brazilian industrialist who founded the Matarazzo Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Latin America at the time.
As the surname Matarazzo spread across various regions and countries, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Mataraso, Matarazi, and Matarazi. However, the core meaning and origin remained tied to the occupation of mattress-making, reflecting the historical roots of this Italian surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matarazzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Matarazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Matarazzo 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 Matarazzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,311
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 81
- Two or more races2.1% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matarazzo
Matarazzo 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
#18,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,504
+15 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 954 places
2020
#18,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,446
-58 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,457 | 1,489 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,411 | 1,504 | 0.51 | +15 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 954 places |
| 2020 | #18,820 | 1,446 | 0.48 | -58 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 409 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 Matarazzo 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 | #18,411 | #18,820 | -2.2% |
| Count | 1,504 | 1,446 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.48 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matarazzo bearers went from 1,504 to 1,446 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 409 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,411 to #18,820.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Matarazzo
FAQ
Matarazzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matarazzo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,658 living Americans carry the surname Matarazzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 206,728 residents.
How common is Matarazzo?
Matarazzo ranks #18,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,446 people with the surname Matarazzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Matarazzo.
Has Matarazzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matarazzo went from 1,504 recorded bearers to 1,446. That is a decrease of 58 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,411 to #18,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Matarazzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matarazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Matarazzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matarazzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Matarazzo (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 Matarazzo mean?
An Italian occupational surname derived from the Latin word for mallet, referring to a carpenter or woodworker. 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 Matarazzo (0.48 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 are called Matarazzo?
Want to know how common the surname Matarazzo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.