2000
#9,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Matherne
A French occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold madder, a plant used for red dye.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,948 Americans carry the last name Matherne. That puts it at #9,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matherne 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
3.9K
1 in 86,817
Census rank
#9,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,443 bearers of the surname Matherne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matherne, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matherne
The surname Matherne is believed to have originated in France, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old French word "mateur," which means "one who lives on an estate or farm." This suggests that the Matherne family may have been landowners or farmers in the regions of Normandy or Brittany.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the parish records of Saint-Malo, a city in Brittany, where a certain Jean Matherne was recorded as having been born in 1589. Another early record is that of Marguerite Matherne, who was married in the town of Rennes, Brittany, in 1612.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Matherne name appeared in various records across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. Notable examples include Pierre Matherne (1648-1712), a merchant from Rouen, and Jean-Baptiste Matherne (1723-1789), a renowned painter from Saint-Malo.
As the French colonial empire expanded, some members of the Matherne family ventured to the Americas, where the name took root in places like Louisiana and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World is that of Jacques Matherne, who was born in Quebec in 1701.
In the 19th century, the Matherne name gained prominence in the United States, particularly in Louisiana, where many families of French descent had settled. One notable figure was Julien Matherne (1815-1892), a prominent lawyer and politician from New Orleans who served as a judge and state legislator.
Other notable individuals with the surname Matherne include Émile Matherne (1867-1942), a French-Canadian poet and journalist; Marie-Thérèse Matherne (1901-1985), a French artist and sculptor; and Georges Matherne (1923-2008), a French resistance fighter during World War II who later became a respected historian and author.
While the Matherne name has its roots in France, it has since spread across various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this surname in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matherne
Among Census respondents with the surname Matherne, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Matherne 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 Matherne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,174
- Two or more races3.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matherne
Matherne 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
#9,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,442
+110 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 432 places
2020
#9,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,443
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,019 | 3,332 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,451 | 3,442 | 1.17 | +110 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 432 places |
| 2020 | #9,117 | 3,443 | 1.15 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 334 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 Matherne 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 | #9,451 | #9,117 | 3.5% |
| Count | 3,442 | 3,443 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.15 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matherne bearers went from 3,442 to 3,443 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,451 to #9,117.
FAQ
Matherne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matherne?
Name Census estimates that about 3,948 living Americans carry the surname Matherne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,817 residents.
How common is Matherne?
Matherne ranks #9,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,443 people with the surname Matherne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Matherne.
Has Matherne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matherne went from 3,442 recorded bearers to 3,443. That is an increase of 1 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,451 to #9,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Matherne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matherne, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Matherne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,174 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matherne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Matherne (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 Matherne mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold madder, a plant used for red dye. 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 Matherne (1.15 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 Matherne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.