2000
#17,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Mathur
An Indian surname derived from Sanskrit meaning "earth" or "land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,684 Americans carry the last name Mathur. That puts it at #7,794 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mathur 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 Mathur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,176
Census rank
#7,794
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,085 bearers of the surname Mathur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7794th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mathur
The surname Mathur is of Indian origin, tracing its roots back to the northern regions of the subcontinent. Its earliest known usage dates back to the medieval era, around the 12th or 13th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Matha," which translates to "monastery" or "hermitage," suggesting a connection to religious or scholarly lineages.
Historically, the Mathur surname has been associated with the Brahmin caste, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. In ancient times, members of this community were often scholars, priests, or teachers, which aligns with the name's etymological roots.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Mathur name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Persian language chronicle commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This historical document mentions several individuals bearing the Mathur surname, indicating the name's prominence during that era.
Among the notable individuals with the Mathur surname throughout history is Govardhan Mathur (1520-1590), a renowned Hindu scholar and poet who contributed significantly to the Braj Bhasha literary tradition. Another prominent figure was Raja Jai Singh Mathur (1688-1743), a Rajput ruler and astronomer who played a crucial role in the establishment of the city of Jaipur.
In the 19th century, Lala Babu Ram Mathur (1825-1896) was a prominent Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Ram Krishna Samaj, a socio-religious organization. Balmukund Mathur (1884-1966) was a notable Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence movement.
The Mathur surname has also been associated with several places in northern India, such as Mathura, a city in Uttar Pradesh that is considered one of the most significant pilgrimage sites for Hindus. The name may have derived from this ancient city, which was once a center of learning and culture.
Throughout history, the Mathur surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, rulers, businessmen, and social reformers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathur
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mathur 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 Mathur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.9% · 3,754
- White3.9% · 161
- Two or more races3.2% · 130
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mathur
Mathur 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
#15,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,881
+359 bearers (+23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,619 places
2020
#7,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,085
+2,204 bearers (+117.2%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 7,757 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,170 | 1,522 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,551 | 1,881 | 0.64 | +359 bearers (+23.6%) | Up 1,619 places |
| 2020 | #7,794 | 4,085 | 1.37 | +2,204 bearers (+117.2%) | Up 7,757 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 Mathur 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 | #15,551 | #7,794 | 49.9% |
| Count | 1,881 | 4,085 | 117.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 1.37 | 113.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mathur bearers went from 1,881 to 4,085 (+117.2% change). The surname moved up 7,757 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,551 to #7,794.
FAQ
Mathur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mathur?
Name Census estimates that about 4,684 living Americans carry the surname Mathur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,176 residents.
How common is Mathur?
Mathur ranks #7,794 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,085 people with the surname Mathur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Mathur.
Has Mathur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mathur went from 1,881 recorded bearers to 4,085. That is an increase of 2,204 (+117.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,551 to #7,794.
What does the Census say about the background of Mathur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mathur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mathur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mathur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.9%), White (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mathur (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 Mathur mean?
An Indian surname derived from Sanskrit meaning "earth" or "land". 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 Mathur (1.37 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 people have the last name Mathur?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Mathur, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.