2000
#24,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 950
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Matejka
A diminutive form of the Czech name "Matej" or "Matyas", meaning "gift of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,087 Americans carry the last name Matejka. That puts it at #27,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 315,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matejka 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
1.1K
1 in 315,321
Census rank
#27,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
948
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 948 bearers of the surname Matejka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matejka
The surname Matejka is of Czech origin, originating in the region of Bohemia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Czech personal name Matej, which is a variant of the biblical name Matthew, meaning "gift of God."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Matejka can be traced back to the 13th century in various Czech historical records and documents. One notable example is found in the Liber Vetustissimus Antiquae Civitatis Pragensis, an ancient manuscript from the 1300s that contains legal records for the city of Prague.
During the 15th century, the Matejka surname appeared in several land registry records and property deeds in the regions surrounding the towns of Kutná Hora and Pardubice. These records often referred to individuals by their occupation, suggesting that some Matejkas may have been involved in trades or crafts.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Matejka surname was Jan Matejka (1507-1592), a renowned Czech artist and painter who specialized in religious works and portraits. His artwork can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout the Czech Republic.
Another significant bearer of the Matejka name was Václav Matejka (1677-1745), a Baroque-era architect and builder who contributed to the design and construction of several prominent buildings in Prague, including the Church of St. Nicholas in the Little Quarter.
During the 19th century, the Matejka surname gained wider recognition with the birth of Josef Matejka (1822-1892), a Czech historian and professor at Charles University in Prague. He authored numerous works on Czech history and culture, including a comprehensive study of the Hussite Wars.
Throughout the centuries, variations of the Matejka surname have also emerged, such as Matejek, Matejko, and Matejkovic, particularly in regions where Czech and Polish linguistic influences overlapped. However, the core spelling of Matejka has remained relatively consistent since its origins in medieval Bohemia.
While the Matejka surname may not be as widely recognized as some other Czech surnames, it has a rich historical lineage that spans several centuries and encompasses individuals from various walks of life, including artists, architects, academics, and tradesmen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matejka
Among Census respondents with the surname Matejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Matejka 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 Matejka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 903
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 21
- Two or more races1.1% · 10
- Black or African American0.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matejka
Matejka 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
#24,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,038
+88 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 441 places
2020
#27,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 948
-90 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 2,805 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,642 | 950 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,201 | 1,038 | 0.35 | +88 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 441 places |
| 2020 | #27,006 | 948 | 0.32 | -90 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 2,805 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 Matejka 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 | #24,201 | #27,006 | -11.6% |
| Count | 1,038 | 948 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.32 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matejka bearers went from 1,038 to 948 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 2,805 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,201 to #27,006.
FAQ
Matejka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matejka?
Name Census estimates that about 1,087 living Americans carry the surname Matejka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 315,321 residents.
How common is Matejka?
Matejka ranks #27,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 948 people with the surname Matejka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Matejka.
Has Matejka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matejka went from 1,038 recorded bearers to 948. That is a decrease of 90 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,201 to #27,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Matejka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Matejka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matejka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Matejka (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 Matejka mean?
A diminutive form of the Czech name "Matej" or "Matyas", meaning "gift of God". 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 Matejka (0.32 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 Matejka?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Matejka, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.