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

Matharu, 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 Matharu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matharu in America

Matharu is the 62531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matharu surname appeared 320 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Matharu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matharu 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 Matharu

The surname Matharu has its origins in the Punjab region of India. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th century and is associated with the Jatt community, a predominant agricultural and landowning community in the northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

The name Matharu is derived from the Sanskrit word "mathar," which means "curd" or "yogurt." It is thought to have been given to families involved in the production or trade of dairy products. Some historians also suggest that the name could be related to the Sanskrit word "mathan," meaning "churning" or "stirring," possibly indicating an association with the preparation of butter or other dairy items.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Matharu can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions a village called "Matharu" in the district of Sirhind, which is now part of the modern-day Indian state of Punjab.

In the 18th century, the Matharu surname gained prominence during the reign of the Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Several members of the Matharu clan served as high-ranking military officers and administrators in his court. One notable figure was Sardar Hari Singh Matharu, who was appointed as the governor of Multan (now in Pakistan) in the early 19th century.

Another prominent individual bearing the Matharu surname was Sardar Bahadur Sir Ganda Singh Matharu (1861-1938), a distinguished politician and educationist from Punjab. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the Khalsa College in Amritsar and served as a member of the Punjab Legislative Council.

In the 20th century, Sardar Swaran Singh Matharu (1907-1979) was a prominent freedom fighter and an important figure in the Indian independence movement. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India and later served as a member of parliament.

Harnek Singh Matharu (1923-2005) was a renowned Punjabi writer and poet. He authored several books and poetry collections that explored themes of social justice, human rights, and the struggles of the Punjabi diaspora.

Matharu families can also be found in various parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, due to migration patterns during the British colonial era and in more recent times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matharu

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

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

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

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