2000
#3,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.10
Rare Last name
Matheny
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Matthew's island" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,380 Americans carry the last name Matheny. That puts it at #4,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matheny 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
9.4K
1 in 36,541
Census rank
#4,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,180 bearers of the surname Matheny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matheny
The surname Matheny has its origins in the Celtic countries of the British Isles, specifically Scotland and Ireland. It is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "Macthamhna," which means "son of the bear." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a bear-like appearance or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matheny can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from Scotland dating back to the late 13th century. In these rolls, the name appears as "Macthamhna," reflecting its Gaelic origins. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Matheny.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Matheny began to spread beyond Scotland and Ireland, as many families bearing the name migrated to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. One notable bearer of the name was John Matheny, a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated to Virginia in the late 1600s and played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in the American colonies.
Another historical figure associated with the surname Matheny was Daniel Matheny, an American pioneer and frontiersman born in 1775. He was one of the earliest settlers in what is now West Virginia and played a crucial role in the exploration and settlement of the region. His descendants went on to establish the town of Matheny, West Virginia, further solidifying the name's connection to the area.
In the 19th century, the surname Matheny gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals making notable contributions. William Matheny, born in 1808 in Ohio, was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. Additionally, John Matheny, born in 1817 in Virginia, was a successful businessman and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the coal industry in West Virginia.
Throughout history, the surname Matheny has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Matheny Creek in West Virginia and Matheny Gap in Virginia. These place names likely derived from the presence of individuals bearing the surname Matheny in those areas, further reinforcing the name's geographical connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matheny
Among Census respondents with the surname Matheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Matheny 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 Matheny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 7,230
- Two or more races4.4% · 364
- Black or African American3.3% · 269
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matheny
Matheny 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
#4,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,595
+226 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#4,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,180
-415 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,902 | 8,369 | 3.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,128 | 8,595 | 2.91 | +226 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #4,194 | 8,180 | 2.74 | -415 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 66 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 Matheny 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 | #4,128 | #4,194 | -1.6% |
| Count | 8,595 | 8,180 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.74 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matheny bearers went from 8,595 to 8,180 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,128 to #4,194.
FAQ
Matheny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matheny?
Name Census estimates that about 9,380 living Americans carry the surname Matheny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,541 residents.
How common is Matheny?
Matheny ranks #4,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,180 people with the surname Matheny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,380), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Matheny.
Has Matheny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matheny went from 8,595 recorded bearers to 8,180. That is a decrease of 415 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,128 to #4,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Matheny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matheny, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Matheny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (7,230 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matheny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (3.3%). 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 Matheny (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 Matheny mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Matthew's island" in Old English. 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 Matheny (2.74 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 have the surname Matheny?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.