Find out how popular the last name Matassa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Matassa.
An Italian surname derived from the word "matassa," meaning a hank or coil of yarn.
Matassa, 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 Matassa surname is from the 2010 census data.
Matassa is the 43369th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Matassa surname appeared 498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Matassa.
We can also compare 2010 data for Matassa 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 43369 | 39885 | 8.37% |
| Count | 498 | 518 | -3.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.19 | -11.11% |
The surname Matassa originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It can be traced back to the late 15th century and is derived from the Italian word "matassa," which means a skein or hank of thread or yarn. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with thread or yarn, perhaps as a weaver or a textile merchant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matassa can be found in a document from the town of Reggio Calabria, dated 1498. In this document, a certain Giovanni Matassa is mentioned as a landowner. Another early reference to the name appears in a census record from the city of Palermo, Sicily, from the year 1565, where a family with the surname Matassa is listed.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Matassa name appears to have spread to other parts of Italy, as well as to areas of the Spanish Empire, including parts of Latin America. In 1624, a man named Diego Matassa is recorded as having been granted land in the Spanish colony of New Mexico.
One notable bearer of the Matassa name was Francesco Matassa, a Sicilian painter who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (1758-1826). He was known for his religious works and portraits, many of which can still be found in churches and galleries in Sicily.
In the 19th century, the Matassa surname can be found in various records from the United States, suggesting that members of this family had immigrated to America during that period. For example, a man named Salvatore Matassa (1828-1891) was born in Sicily and later settled in New Orleans, where he worked as a merchant.
Another prominent individual with the Matassa surname was Giuseppe Matassa (1865-1942), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a strong advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.
Overall, the surname Matassa has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its Italian roots, where it likely originated as an occupational surname related to the textile industry.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Matassa.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Matassa was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 96.59% | 481 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 0.00% | 0 |
| Hispanic Origin | 3.01% | 15 |
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 Matassa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.59% | 96.91% | -0.33% |
| Black | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 3.01% | 2.51% | 18.12% |
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 Matassa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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