2000
#9,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Mathewson
Son of Matthew, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Matthew, which means "gift of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,491 Americans carry the last name Mathewson. That puts it at #10,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mathewson 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 Mathewson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,182
Census rank
#10,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,044 bearers of the surname Mathewson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathewson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mathewson
The surname Mathewson is of English origin and is derived from the medieval given name Matthew, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Mattithyahu, meaning "gift of Yahweh." The surname Mathewson evolved from the patronymic form of the name, which was originally "Matthew's son" or "son of Matthew."
The earliest recorded instances of the Mathewson surname date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a Richard Matheusson in Lincolnshire. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where a William Mathewson is listed.
During the medieval period, the Mathewson surname was often spelled in various ways, including Mathewson, Mathison, Matthewson, and Mathuson, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Mathewson, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1379, and Thomas Mathewson, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The Mathewson surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Edward Mathewson (c. 1535-1589), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Brackley during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In the 17th century, Reverend John Mathewson (1639-1687) was a prominent Puritan minister in Boston, Massachusetts, and a leader of the New England Congregationalist Church.
In more recent times, the Mathewson surname has been borne by several accomplished individuals, including Christy Mathewson (1880-1925), a celebrated American baseball pitcher who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (1840-1916), an American-British inventor best known for his pioneering work on the Maxim machine gun.
Other notable individuals with the Mathewson surname include James Mathewson (1805-1882), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1866 to 1868, and Robert Mathewson (1853-1912), a Canadian financier and philanthropist who co-founded the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathewson
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathewson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mathewson 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 Mathewson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,742
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 109
- Two or more races3.0% · 90
- Black or African American1.7% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mathewson
Mathewson 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
#9,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
-37 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 805 places
2020
#10,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,044
-255 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,008 | 3,336 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,813 | 3,299 | 1.12 | -37 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 805 places |
| 2020 | #10,093 | 3,044 | 1.02 | -255 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 280 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 Mathewson 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 | #9,813 | #10,093 | -2.9% |
| Count | 3,299 | 3,044 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.02 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mathewson bearers went from 3,299 to 3,044 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,813 to #10,093.
FAQ
Mathewson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mathewson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,491 living Americans carry the surname Mathewson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,182 residents.
How common is Mathewson?
Mathewson ranks #10,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,044 people with the surname Mathewson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Mathewson.
Has Mathewson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mathewson went from 3,299 recorded bearers to 3,044. That is a decrease of 255 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,813 to #10,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Mathewson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathewson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mathewson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mathewson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Mathewson (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 Mathewson mean?
Son of Matthew, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Matthew, which means "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 Mathewson (1.02 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 Mathewson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.