Find out how popular the last name Mathai is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mathai.

Mathai, 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 Mathai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mathai in America

Mathai is the 17432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mathai surname appeared 1,618 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mathai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mathai 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.

The history of the last name Mathai

The surname MATHAI is believed to have originated from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the southern state of Kerala. It is thought to be derived from the Malayalam words "Maththai" or "Mathan," which were used to refer to a person engaged in fishing or related maritime activities.

The earliest known records of the surname MATHAI can be traced back to the 16th century in various local documents and records maintained by village councils and religious institutions in Kerala. One notable early reference to the name is found in a palm leaf manuscript from the year 1567, which mentions a person named "Mathai Kurien" as a witness to a land transaction.

During the colonial era, the MATHAI surname gained prominence among the Christian communities of Kerala, particularly the Syrian Christians and Latin Catholics. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Thomas MATHAI (1670-1742), a prominent merchant and philanthropist from the town of Kochi, and Kurian MATHAI (1705-1778), a respected community leader and landowner from the town of Alappuzha.

As the centuries progressed, the MATHAI surname spread beyond the confines of Kerala, with many members of the community migrating to other parts of India and abroad. Notable individuals bearing the surname include Dr. Mammen MATHAI (1890-1979), a pioneering Indian ophthalmologist and the founder of the prestigious Madras Medical Mission, and Sir John MATHAI (1886-1959), an eminent Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the first Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Other notable individuals with the MATHAI surname include Dr. C.P. MATHAI (1888-1971), a renowned educator and the first Indian principal of the prestigious Loyola College in Chennai, and Dr. George MATHAI (1912-2003), a renowned physicist and the founder of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune.

While the MATHAI surname is predominantly found among the Christian communities of Kerala, it has also been adopted by other communities over time, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mathai

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mathai.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mathai was:

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 Mathai has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Mathai was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mathai, please contact us.

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