2000
#23,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Mateos
A Spanish surname derived from the name Mateo, meaning "gift of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Mateos. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mateos 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
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Mateos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mateos
The surname Mateos originated in Spain, likely derived from the given name Mateo, the Spanish form of Matthew, which means "gift of God" in Hebrew. The name traces its roots back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Mateos appeared in various Spanish records and documents, particularly in regions like Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. It's believed to have emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating that the bearer was the son or descendant of someone named Mateo.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Mateos can be found in the "Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a 14th-century manuscript that documented feudal landholdings and vassalage in the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions individuals with the surname Mateos residing in various towns and villages throughout the region.
In the 15th century, the surname Mateos gained further prominence with the rise of Juan Mateos (c. 1410-1480), a renowned Spanish painter and sculptor from Seville. His works, including altarpieces and religious sculptures, can still be found in several churches and museums across Andalusia.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Mateos was Pedro Mateos (1563-1631), a Spanish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of navigation. Born in Seville, he authored several works on celestial navigation, including the influential treatise "Arte de Navegar" (The Art of Navigation).
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Mateos also appeared in various regions of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One example is Juan Mateos (c. 1570-1635), a Spanish explorer and colonist who played a role in the early exploration and settlement of parts of present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States.
In the realm of literature, the surname Mateos gained recognition through the works of Emilio Mateos y Gago (1855-1929), a Spanish novelist and playwright known for his realist depictions of rural life in Extremadura. His novel "Madre Tierra" (Mother Earth) is considered a classic of Spanish literature.
Another prominent individual with the surname Mateos was María Mateos Rendón (1892-1983), a Spanish educator and feminist activist who fought for women's rights and educational reforms in Spain during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mateos
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mateos 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 Mateos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 1,708
- White5.2% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mateos
Mateos 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
#18,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,526
+501 bearers (+48.9%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 4,994 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
+327 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 2,979 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,221 | 1,025 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,227 | 1,526 | 0.52 | +501 bearers (+48.9%) | Up 4,994 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | +327 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 2,979 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 Mateos 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 | #18,227 | #15,248 | 16.3% |
| Count | 1,526 | 1,853 | 21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.62 | 19.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mateos bearers went from 1,526 to 1,853 (+21.4% change). The surname moved up 2,979 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,227 to #15,248.
FAQ
Mateos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mateos?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Mateos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Mateos?
Mateos ranks #15,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,853 people with the surname Mateos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Mateos.
Has Mateos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mateos went from 1,526 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is an increase of 327 (+21.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,227 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Mateos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Mateos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mateos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Mateos (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 Mateos mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the name Mateo, 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 Mateos (0.62 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 Mateos?
You can see how many people have the surname Mateos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.