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

Matheus, 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 Matheus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matheus in America

Matheus is the 34185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matheus surname appeared 664 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 Matheus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matheus 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 Matheus

The surname Matheus is believed to have originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the given name Matheus, which is the Portuguese form of the biblical name Matthew, meaning "gift of God" in Hebrew.

Matheus is thought to have initially been adopted as a surname by families residing in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various medieval documents and records.

One notable early bearer of the name was Dom Matheus Fernandes, a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who lived during the 14th century. He played a significant role in the wars against the Kingdom of Castile and was granted land and titles for his service to the Portuguese Crown.

In the 15th century, the name Matheus gained further prominence with the rise of the Portuguese explorer and navigator, João Matheus. Born in 1455, he was one of the pioneers of the Age of Discovery and participated in several expeditions along the West African coast, contributing to the expansion of Portuguese maritime exploration.

Another historically significant individual with this surname was Father Manuel Matheus, a Jesuit priest and missionary who lived in the 16th century. He was one of the first Europeans to travel to Japan and played a crucial role in introducing Christianity to the region.

During the 17th century, the surname Matheus was also found in various parts of Brazil, where many Portuguese settlers had established colonies. One notable figure from this period was Pedro Matheus Coutinho, a Brazilian landowner and cattle rancher who owned vast properties in the northeastern region of the country.

As the Portuguese Empire expanded, the surname Matheus spread to other parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean islands. However, it maintained its strongest presence in Portugal and Brazil, where it remains a common surname to this day.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matheus

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

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

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

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