2000
#19,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Mathai
An Indian surname derived from the Hebrew name "Matthew" meaning "gift of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,119 Americans carry the last name Mathai. That puts it at #15,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mathai 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mathai with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,753
Census rank
#15,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,848 bearers of the surname Mathai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathai
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mathai 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 Mathai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.1% · 1,646
- White4.9% · 91
- Two or more races3.0% · 56
- Black or African American1.8% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mathai
Mathai 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
#17,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,618
+302 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 1,686 places
2020
#15,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,848
+230 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 2,141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,118 | 1,316 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,432 | 1,618 | 0.55 | +302 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 1,686 places |
| 2020 | #15,291 | 1,848 | 0.62 | +230 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 2,141 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 Mathai 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 | #17,432 | #15,291 | 12.3% |
| Count | 1,618 | 1,848 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.62 | 12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mathai bearers went from 1,618 to 1,848 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 2,141 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,432 to #15,291.
FAQ
Mathai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mathai?
Name Census estimates that about 2,119 living Americans carry the surname Mathai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,753 residents.
How common is Mathai?
Mathai ranks #15,291 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 1,848 people with the surname Mathai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,119), 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 Mathai.
Has Mathai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mathai went from 1,618 recorded bearers to 1,848. That is an increase of 230 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,432 to #15,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Mathai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mathai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (1,646 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mathai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.1%), White (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mathai (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 Mathai mean?
An Indian surname derived from the Hebrew name "Matthew" 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 Mathai (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 many Americans have the surname Mathai?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.