2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Matsu
A surname derived from the Japanese word for pine tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Matsu. 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 Matsu 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 Matsu 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 Matsu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Two or More Races (18.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matsu
The surname MATSU originated in Japan during the early Edo period, around the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "matsu," which means "pine tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near or worked with pine trees.
In historical records, the earliest known mention of the surname MATSU can be found in the Hinoemata Family Register, a compilation of genealogical records from the Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture) dating back to the late 16th century. The register includes several families with the surname MATSU, indicating its widespread use in that region during that time.
One notable figure with the surname MATSU was Matsu Toshihiro (1592-1657), a prominent samurai and military strategist who served under the Tokugawa Shogunate. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Osaka in 1615, where he helped defeat the forces of the Toyotomi clan, solidifying the Tokugawa's control over Japan.
Another notable individual was Matsu Masayoshi (1647-1721), a renowned scholar and poet of the Edo period. He was known for his contributions to the study of classical Japanese literature and his mastery of the waka poetic form.
In the late 18th century, the name MATSU appeared in the records of the Matsudaira clan, a powerful feudal family that ruled several domains in central Japan. One prominent member was Matsu Nobuyuki (1763-1823), a skilled administrator who served as the daimyo (feudal lord) of the Aidzu Domain (present-day Fukushima Prefecture).
Moving into the 19th century, Matsu Shintaro (1818-1889) was a prominent educator and scholar who played a significant role in the modernization of Japan's education system during the Meiji Restoration period. He was instrumental in establishing several prestigious educational institutions, including the forerunner of the University of Tokyo.
In the realm of arts and culture, Matsu Keiko (1913-2001) was a renowned actress and dancer who gained international recognition for her performances in traditional Japanese dance forms, such as kabuki and noh. She was designated as a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government in recognition of her contributions to preserving and promoting traditional Japanese performing arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matsu
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Two or More Races (18.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Matsu 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 Matsu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander50.0% · 56
- White18.8% · 21
- Two or more races18.8% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matsu
Matsu 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+12 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,183 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-23 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,183 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 21,189 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 Matsu 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 | #126,765 | #147,954 | -16.7% |
| Count | 135 | 112 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matsu bearers went from 135 to 112 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 21,189 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #147,954.
FAQ
Matsu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matsu?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Matsu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Matsu?
Matsu 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 Matsu. 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 Matsu.
Has Matsu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matsu went from 135 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Matsu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Two or More Races (18.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Matsu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (56 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matsu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (50.0%), White (18.8%), Two or More Races (18.8%). 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 Matsu (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 Matsu mean?
A surname derived from the Japanese word for pine tree. 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 Matsu (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 people share the surname Matsu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.