2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Matlaga
An Anglicized surname derived from the Slavic name "Matlag", meaning "slow to anger".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Matlaga. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matlaga 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Matlaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlaga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matlaga
The surname MATLAGA is of Slavic origin, originating in the region of present-day Slovakia and the surrounding areas of Central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "matla," which means "broom" or "brush," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a broom maker or seller.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MATLAGA can be found in the 15th century, when a certain Jan Matlaga was listed as a resident of the town of Bardejov, in what is now eastern Slovakia. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name MATLAGA began to spread beyond its original homeland, as members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe. In 1612, a man named Michal Matlaga was recorded as living in the city of Krakow, Poland. A few decades later, in 1657, a woman named Anna Matlaga was mentioned in a document from the town of Brno, in what is now the Czech Republic.
One notable bearer of the name MATLAGA was Juraj Matlaga, a Slovak writer and poet who lived from 1714 to 1789. He is considered one of the pioneers of Slovak literature and is best known for his collection of folk songs and poems, "Zbierka ľudových piesní a básní" (Collection of Folk Songs and Poems).
Another individual of historical significance was Andrej Matlaga, a Slovak Catholic priest and writer who lived from 1811 to 1885. He was a vocal advocate for the use of the Slovak language in education and church services, and played a significant role in the Slovak national revival movement of the 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname MATLAGA emigrated from Slovakia and neighboring regions to the United States and other parts of the world. One notable example is Jozef Matlaga, a Slovak immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s and worked as a coal miner. He was born in 1879 and died in 1957.
While the surname MATLAGA is not among the most common in Slovakia or elsewhere, it has a long and rich history that can be traced back several centuries. The name continues to be carried on by individuals of Slovak descent around the globe, serving as a reminder of their cultural heritage and the journeys of their ancestors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matlaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlaga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Matlaga 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 Matlaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matlaga
Matlaga 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,353 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,353 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Matlaga 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matlaga bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Matlaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matlaga?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Matlaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Matlaga?
Matlaga ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Matlaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Matlaga.
Has Matlaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matlaga went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Matlaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matlaga, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Matlaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matlaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Matlaga (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 Matlaga mean?
An Anglicized surname derived from the Slavic name "Matlag", meaning "slow to anger". 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 Matlaga (0.04 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 Matlaga?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Matlaga, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.