2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Matsch
A surname derived from the German word "Matsch" meaning mud or slush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Matsch. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matsch 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Matsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matsch
The surname Matsch has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "matsche," which means "mud" or "mire." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a muddy or swampy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matsch can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Alsfeld in Hesse, Germany, where a child named Hans Matsch was baptized in 1532. Another early record is from the town of Triftern in Bavaria, where a man named Niclas Matsch was mentioned in a land deed from 1568.
In the 17th century, the name Matsch appears in various records across Germany. For example, a man named Johann Matsch was born in Erlangen, Bavaria, in 1618. Another notable individual was Georg Matsch, who was born in Nuremberg in 1652 and became a respected clockmaker.
As the Matsch family spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, the name underwent some variations in spelling, such as Matsche, Mattsch, and Motsch. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany is in the Netherlands, where a man named Hendrik Matsch was born in Amsterdam in 1703. He was a successful merchant and became a prominent figure in the city's trade guilds.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Matsch achieved notable accomplishments. Johann Matsch (1792-1867) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Another notable figure was Karl Matsch (1818-1891), a German-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City.
Other historical figures with the surname Matsch include Friedrich Matsch (1857-1923), a German painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, and Maximilian Matsch (1874-1942), an Austrian engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the Simplon Tunnel, a major railway tunnel through the Swiss Alps.
Throughout its history, the surname Matsch has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, merchants, scholars, and artists. While its origins may be humble, the name has left its mark on the cultural and intellectual fabric of several countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Matsch 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 Matsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matsch
Matsch 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-8 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,219 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-22 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,727 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 14,219 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 19,727 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 Matsch 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 | #133,863 | #153,590 | -14.7% |
| Count | 126 | 104 | -17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matsch bearers went from 126 to 104 (-17.5% change). The surname moved down 19,727 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #153,590.
FAQ
Matsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matsch?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Matsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Matsch?
Matsch ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Matsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Matsch.
Has Matsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matsch went from 126 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Matsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Matsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Matsch (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 Matsch mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Matsch" meaning mud or slush. 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 Matsch (0.03 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 share the surname Matsch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.