2000
#12,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Matte
A surname of French origin referring to someone who is slow, dull, or not very bright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,414 Americans carry the last name Matte. That puts it at #13,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matte 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
2.4K
1 in 141,986
Census rank
#13,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,105 bearers of the surname Matte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matte
The surname Matte has its origins in the northern regions of France, particularly in the area of Normandy. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "matte," which means "mat" or "dull." This could potentially suggest that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with dull or lackluster hair or complexion.
The earliest known record of the surname Matte dates back to the 12th century, where it appears in the ancient rolls and manuscripts of Normandy. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Livre Noir, a medieval cartulary from the abbey of St. Wandrille, which contains records dating back to the early 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Matte was frequently associated with various place names in Normandy, such as Matte-en-Vexin, Matte-d'Avranches, and Matte-sur-Risle. These place names likely played a role in the widespread adoption of the surname among families residing in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Matte was Guillaume Matte, a Norman nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. Records indicate that he participated in the Third Crusade, which took place between 1189 and 1192.
Another notable figure was Jean Matte, a French merchant and explorer who lived in the 16th century. Born in Rouen in 1520, he is known for his travels to the Americas and his contributions to the early exploration and trade in the New World.
In the 17th century, Jacques Matte, a French soldier and colonist, played a significant role in the establishment of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia and parts of New Brunswick and Maine). Born in 1625 in La Rochelle, he arrived in Acadia in 1651 and was involved in various military campaigns and land disputes.
During the French Revolution, François Matte, born in 1762 in Marseille, was a prominent figure who supported the revolutionary cause. He served as a member of the National Convention and later became a deputy in the Corps Législatif under Napoleon.
In the 19th century, Louis-François-Rodrigue Matte, born in 1836 in Quebec City, was a prominent Canadian businessman and political figure. He founded the Banque Nationale du Canada and served as a member of the Senate of Canada from 1888 until his death in 1908.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matte
Among Census respondents with the surname Matte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Matte 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 Matte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 1,869
- Two or more races3.5% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 34
- Black or African American1.2% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matte
Matte 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
#11,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,819
+529 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 1,214 places
2020
#13,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
-714 bearers (-25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 2,544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,430 | 2,290 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,216 | 2,819 | 0.96 | +529 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 1,214 places |
| 2020 | #13,760 | 2,105 | 0.70 | -714 bearers (-25.3%) | Down 2,544 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 Matte 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 | #11,216 | #13,760 | -22.7% |
| Count | 2,819 | 2,105 | -25.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.70 | -26.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matte bearers went from 2,819 to 2,105 (-25.3% change). The surname moved down 2,544 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,216 to #13,760.
FAQ
Matte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matte?
Name Census estimates that about 2,414 living Americans carry the surname Matte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,986 residents.
How common is Matte?
Matte ranks #13,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,105 people with the surname Matte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Matte.
Has Matte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matte went from 2,819 recorded bearers to 2,105. That is a decrease of 714 (-25.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,216 to #13,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Matte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Matte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (1,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Matte (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 Matte mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who is slow, dull, or not very bright. 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 Matte (0.70 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 Matte?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Matte, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.