2000
#609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,608
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.76
Uncommon Last name
Mathews
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 56,745 Americans carry the last name Mathews. That puts it at #671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,040 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mathews 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mathews with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
57K
1 in 6,040
Census rank
#671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 49,484 bearers of the surname Mathews in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathews, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathews
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathews, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mathews 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 Mathews surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 35,457
- Black or African American14.5% · 7,180
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 2,449
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,154
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,890
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 354
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mathews
Mathews 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
#663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,592
+984 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 17.49
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,484
-2,108 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 16.56
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #609 | 50,608 | 18.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #663 | 51,592 | 17.49 | +984 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #671 | 49,484 | 16.56 | -2,108 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 8 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 Mathews 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 | #663 | #671 | -1.2% |
| Count | 51,592 | 49,484 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 17.49 | 16.56 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mathews bearers went from 51,592 to 49,484 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #663 to #671.
FAQ
Mathews surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mathews?
Name Census estimates that about 56,745 living Americans carry the surname Mathews. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,040 residents.
How common is Mathews?
Mathews ranks #671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 49,484 people with the surname Mathews. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (56,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Mathews.
Has Mathews become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mathews went from 51,592 recorded bearers to 49,484. That is a decrease of 2,108 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #663 to #671.
What does the Census say about the background of Mathews?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathews, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Mathews in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (35,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mathews appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (14.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Mathews (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 Mathews mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God." 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 Mathews (16.56 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 common is the surname Mathews?
You can see how many people have the last name Mathews on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.