2000
#87,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Mateu
A surname of Catalan origin meaning "Matthew" or "Gift of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 284 Americans carry the last name Mateu. That puts it at #82,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,206,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mateu 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
284
1 in 1,206,881
Census rank
#82,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
248
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 248 bearers of the surname Mateu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (25.8%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mateu
The surname Mateu originated in Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain, around the 13th century. It is derived from the Latin name Mattheus, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Mattathyahu, meaning "gift of God." The name was initially used as a personal name before becoming a hereditary surname.
Mateu is a variant spelling of the more common Spanish surname Mateo, which shares the same origins. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Catalan documents and records, often referring to individuals from prominent families or members of the clergy.
One notable early reference to the name Mateu can be found in the "Llibre dels Fets" (Book of Deeds), a chronicle written by King James I of Aragon in the 13th century, which mentions a certain Ramon Mateu, a nobleman and military leader.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the "Llibre del Repartiment" (Book of Distribution), a record of land grants made to nobles and settlers during the Christian reconquest of Valencia. This document includes entries for individuals with the surname Mateu, indicating their presence in the region during this period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Mateu:
1. Arnau Mateu (c. 1350 - c. 1410), a Catalan physician and writer, known for his works on medicine and alchemy.
2. Jaume Mateu Lladó (1882 - 1936), a Catalan artist and painter, renowned for his landscapes and still-life paintings.
3. Francesc Mateu i Llopis (1901 - 1998), a Spanish numismatist and archaeologist, known for his contributions to the study of ancient coinage.
4. Josep Mateu Ferrer (1912 - 1997), a Catalan architect and urban planner, responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Barcelona.
5. Jordi Mateu (born 1962), a Spanish writer and journalist, known for his novels and works of non-fiction.
The name Mateu has also been associated with various place names in Catalonia and the Valencian Community, such as Mateu de Bages, a municipality in the province of Barcelona, and Mateu de Cerdanya, a village in the Pyrenees region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mateu
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (25.8%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mateu 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 Mateu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.8% · 178
- White25.8% · 64
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mateu
Mateu 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
#104,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
-27 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 17,254 places
2020
#82,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
+77 bearers (+45.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 22,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #87,348 | 198 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #104,602 | 171 | 0.06 | -27 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 17,254 places |
| 2020 | #82,069 | 248 | 0.08 | +77 bearers (+45.0%) | Up 22,533 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 Mateu 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 | #104,602 | #82,069 | 21.5% |
| Count | 171 | 248 | 45.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.08 | 38.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mateu bearers went from 171 to 248 (+45.0% change). The surname moved up 22,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #104,602 to #82,069.
FAQ
Mateu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mateu?
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the surname Mateu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,206,881 residents.
How common is Mateu?
Mateu ranks #82,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 248 people with the surname Mateu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Mateu.
Has Mateu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mateu went from 171 recorded bearers to 248. That is an increase of 77 (+45.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #104,602 to #82,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Mateu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mateu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (25.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Mateu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mateu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (71.8%), White (25.8%), Two or More Races (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 Mateu (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 Mateu mean?
A surname of Catalan origin meaning "Matthew" or "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 Mateu (0.08 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 share the surname Mateu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.