2000
#6,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Matney
Derived from the Old English word "matinogh," meaning a person who mowed grass or hay in a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,784 Americans carry the last name Matney. That puts it at #6,474 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matney 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
5.8K
1 in 59,259
Census rank
#6,474
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,044 bearers of the surname Matney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6474th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matney
The surname Matney originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "mæt" meaning "meet" or "suitable" and "ney" meaning "island" or "waterside dwelling." It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a suitable or agreeable island or riverside location.
The earliest known recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221, where one Richard de Mattenye is listed. This indicates the name was established in the English Midlands by the 13th century. Variant spellings from this era include Matteney, Mattenay, and Matnie.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Matney. However, the place name "Matena" is recorded, which may have been an early precursor to the surname's evolution.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir John Matney, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. He hailed from Warwickshire and his coat of arms is still preserved in historical records.
Another early figure was William Matney, born in 1548 in Gloucestershire, who was a renowned scholar and translator of Latin texts during the Elizabethan era.
In the 17th century, the Matney surname appeared in various parish records across Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire, suggesting its continued prevalence in the West Midlands region.
One notable bearer from this period was Reverend Thomas Matney (1625-1698), a prominent clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwick for over three decades.
During the 18th century, the name spread further across England, with records showing Matneys residing in counties such as Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. A notable figure from this time was Captain John Matney (1732-1803), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
As the surname continued to disperse throughout the 19th century, it also began to appear in various parts of the British Empire, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by Matney emigrants seeking new opportunities abroad.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matney
Among Census respondents with the surname Matney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Matney 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 Matney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,589
- Two or more races4.3% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 159
- Black or African American0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matney
Matney 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
#6,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,518
+311 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#6,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,044
-474 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,074 | 5,207 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,198 | 5,518 | 1.87 | +311 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #6,474 | 5,044 | 1.69 | -474 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 276 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 Matney 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 | #6,198 | #6,474 | -4.5% |
| Count | 5,518 | 5,044 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.69 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matney bearers went from 5,518 to 5,044 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 276 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,198 to #6,474.
FAQ
Matney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matney?
Name Census estimates that about 5,784 living Americans carry the surname Matney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,259 residents.
How common is Matney?
Matney ranks #6,474 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,044 people with the surname Matney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Matney.
Has Matney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matney went from 5,518 recorded bearers to 5,044. That is a decrease of 474 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,198 to #6,474.
What does the Census say about the background of Matney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Matney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (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 Matney (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 Matney mean?
Derived from the Old English word "matinogh," meaning a person who mowed grass or hay in a meadow. 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 Matney (1.69 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 surname Matney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.