2000
#13,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Matsuda
A Japanese surname meaning "pine tree rice paddy," referring to someone who lived near a pine forest and rice field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,146 Americans carry the last name Matsuda. That puts it at #15,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matsuda 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
2.1K
1 in 159,718
Census rank
#15,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,871 bearers of the surname Matsuda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsuda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matsuda
The surname Matsuda is of Japanese origin, dating back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Japanese words 'matsu' meaning 'pine tree' and 'da' meaning 'rice paddy', suggesting that the name originated from a place where pine trees grew near rice fields.
Matsuda was initially recorded in various regional records and family registries during the Heian period (794-1185 AD) in Japan's Kansai region, particularly in present-day Osaka and Kyoto prefectures. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle completed in 797 AD.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the Matsuda family gained prominence as samurai warriors serving under the Hojo clan, who ruled as shoguns in Kamakura. Notable figures from this time include Matsuda Yoshisada (1179-1263), a skilled archer and military strategist, and Matsuda Nobuyuki (1228-1298), a respected swordsman and advisor to the Hojo regents.
As the Matsuda clan spread throughout Japan, various branches emerged, leading to regional variations in the spelling and pronunciation of the name. For instance, in the northern regions of Honshu, the name was sometimes rendered as 'Matsuya' or 'Matsudaira'.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), several Matsuda individuals held positions of influence within the Tokugawa shogunate. Matsuda Izu no Kami Yasuchika (1594-1660) was a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) who governed the Matsuda domain in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. Another noteworthy figure was Matsuda Kikusui (1756-1835), a renowned Confucian scholar and educator.
Other historical figures bearing the Matsuda name include Matsuda Takanobu (1764-1841), a pioneering agriculturist who introduced new farming techniques, and Matsuda Chikamatsu (1870-1947), a celebrated author and playwright known for his historical dramas and adaptations of traditional tales.
As the name spread globally through emigration, individuals with the surname Matsuda have made significant contributions in various fields, such as Matsuda Shizuko (1913-2001), a pioneering Japanese-American artist renowned for her woodblock prints, and Matsuda Yoko (1941-2011), a Japanese-American dancer and choreographer celebrated for her innovative fusion of Eastern and Western dance styles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matsuda
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsuda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Matsuda 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 Matsuda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.3% · 1,428
- Two or more races12.0% · 224
- White6.3% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 95
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matsuda
Matsuda 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
#14,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,038
-88 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,429 places
2020
#15,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
-167 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,175 | 2,126 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,604 | 2,038 | 0.69 | -88 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 1,429 places |
| 2020 | #15,129 | 1,871 | 0.63 | -167 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 525 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 Matsuda 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 | #14,604 | #15,129 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,038 | 1,871 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.63 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matsuda bearers went from 2,038 to 1,871 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,604 to #15,129.
FAQ
Matsuda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matsuda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,146 living Americans carry the surname Matsuda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,718 residents.
How common is Matsuda?
Matsuda ranks #15,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,871 people with the surname Matsuda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Matsuda.
Has Matsuda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matsuda went from 2,038 recorded bearers to 1,871. That is a decrease of 167 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,604 to #15,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Matsuda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matsuda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.3%). 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 Matsuda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (1,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matsuda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.3%), Two or More Races (12.0%), White (6.3%). 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 Matsuda (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 Matsuda mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "pine tree rice paddy," referring to someone who lived near a pine forest and rice field. 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 Matsuda (0.63 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 Matsuda?
See how many people have the surname Matsuda on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.