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

Matis, 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 Matis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matis in America

Matis is the 18486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matis surname appeared 1,495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Matis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matis 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 Matis

The surname Matis originated in the Czech Republic during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Czech personal name Matej, which is the equivalent of the English name Matthew. The name Matej itself comes from the Hebrew name Mattiyahu, meaning "gift of God."

Matis was initially used as a patronymic surname, meaning it identified the bearer as the son of a man named Matej. Over time, it became established as a hereditary family name. The earliest recorded instance of the name Matis can be found in the Bohemian census records from the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name Matis appeared in the historical records of the town of Litomerice, located in the modern-day Usti nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Litomerice was an important trading center during the Renaissance period, and the Matis family may have been involved in commerce or other business activities.

One notable bearer of the surname Matis was Jan Matis (1598-1672), a Czech painter and engraver who was active in Prague during the Baroque era. His works include religious paintings and engravings for churches and monasteries throughout Bohemia.

Another individual of historical significance was Vaclav Matis (1672-1744), a Czech composer and organist who worked in the service of Count Franz Anton von Sporck, a prominent nobleman and patron of the arts. Vaclav Matis composed numerous sacred works and contributed to the development of Czech Baroque music.

In the 19th century, the Matis surname can be found in the records of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One example is Karel Matis (1834-1889), a Czech politician and journalist who played a role in the Czech National Revival movement and advocated for greater autonomy within the Habsburg Empire.

Another notable figure was Bedrich Matis (1867-1943), a Czech architect and urban planner who designed several important buildings in Prague and other cities in the region. His works include the Prague State Opera House and the Czechoslovak Pavilion at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris.

Beyond the Czech lands, the Matis surname has also been recorded in other parts of Europe, such as Slovakia and Poland, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the historical regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which formed the core of the present-day Czech Republic.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matis

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

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

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

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