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

Mathews, 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 Mathews surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mathews in America

Mathews is the 663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mathews surname appeared 51,592 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Mathews.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mathews 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 Mathews

The surname Mathews originated in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It derived from the given name Mathew, which is itself an English variant of the Hebrew personal name Mattathiah, meaning "gift of God." The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where it appears as Matheu.

The Mathews name is believed to have originated in the counties of Sussex, Kent, and Surrey in southern England. Many early instances of the surname can be found in parish records and tax rolls from these areas. For example, in 1327, a Thomas Mathew is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Mathews appeared in various spellings, such as Matheu, Mathewe, and Mathue, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping at the time. These variations persisted until the 16th and 17th centuries when standardized spellings became more common.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Mathews surname is found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which records a landowner named Mathew in the county of Gloucestershire.

Notable individuals with the surname Mathews throughout history include Sir Tobie Mathew (1577-1655), an English courtier and writer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; John Mathews (1755-1826), an English-born American politician and soldier who served as the 29th Governor of Georgia; and William Mathews (1837-1912), an American merchant and philanthropist who co-founded the Mathews Furniture Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Other significant figures include Sir Edmund Mathew (1530-1594), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the Tudor period; and Charles Mathews (1776-1835), an English comic actor and playwright known for his performances in London's West End theaters.

Throughout the centuries, the Mathews surname has been well-represented in various fields, including politics, literature, business, and the military, reflecting its long-standing presence in England and its subsequent spread to other parts of the world through migration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mathews

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

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

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

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