2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Matoy
A Northern Philippine surname possibly derived from a Tagalog word for cultivated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Matoy. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matoy 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Matoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matoy
The surname MATOY has its origins in France, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have evolved from the Old French word "mater," meaning "to conquer" or "to subdue." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon a person who had a reputation for being a skilled warrior or a conqueror.
One of the earliest known bearers of the MATOY surname was Guilhem de Matoy, a knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. His name is recorded in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William I in 1086, which documented landholdings and property rights across England.
During the 12th century, the MATOY surname appeared in various historical records across northern France, particularly in the regions of Picardy and Normandy. Some of these records include the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which mentions a certain Renaud MATOY in 1175, and the Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie, which lists a Pierre MATOY as a landowner in 1198.
In the 13th century, the surname MATOY began to spread to other parts of Europe, including England and the Low Countries. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir John MATOY, a English knight who participated in the Seventh Crusade under the leadership of King Louis IX of France. He is mentioned in the Chronicles of Matthew Paris, a medieval English chronicler, for his bravery in battle against the Saracens in 1249.
Another prominent figure with the MATOY surname was Jean MATOY, a French scholar and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was a renowned lecturer at the University of Paris and authored several influential works on logic and metaphysics, including "Quaestiones Logicales" and "Tractatus de Primis Principiis."
In the 16th century, the MATOY name gained prominence in the Netherlands, where it was associated with a family of wealthy merchants and bankers. One of the most notable members of this lineage was Willem MATOY (1525-1592), who served as the mayor of Antwerp and played a significant role in the city's economic and cultural development during the Dutch Renaissance.
Throughout its history, the MATOY surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Matois, Mattoy, and Mateoy, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences across the areas where it was prevalent. Despite these variations, the surname has maintained its distinct identity and legacy, spanning several centuries and geographic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Matoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Matoy 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 Matoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 89
- Two or more races13.4% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matoy
Matoy 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-24 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,017 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 29,017 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 701 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 Matoy 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 | #147,253 | #147,954 | -0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 112 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matoy bearers went from 112 to 112 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 701 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,954.
FAQ
Matoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matoy?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Matoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Matoy?
Matoy ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Matoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Matoy.
Has Matoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matoy went from 112 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Matoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Matoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Two or More Races (13.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Matoy (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 Matoy mean?
A Northern Philippine surname possibly derived from a Tagalog word for cultivated 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 Matoy (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 many Americans have the surname Matoy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.