2000
#10,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Matter
An occupational surname for a mower or reaper, derived from the Old English "mætere" meaning "to mow" or "to reap."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,147 Americans carry the last name Matter. That puts it at #11,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Matter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 108,915
Census rank
#11,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,744 bearers of the surname Matter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matter
The surname Matter originates from the Germanic region, specifically the areas of Germany and Switzerland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "matar," which translates to "matter" or "substance," potentially indicating an occupation or trade involving materials or substances.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Matter surname can be found in the Codex Manesse, a renowned medieval German manuscript dating back to around 1300. This codex contained a collection of courtly love poems and illustrations, including references to individuals bearing the Matter name.
The Matter surname also appears in various historical documents and records across different regions of Germany and Switzerland. For instance, records from the city of Zürich mention a Rudolph Matter in 1357, while the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch (a collection of documents from Württemberg) references a Hans Matter in 1456.
Interestingly, the Matter surname has also been associated with certain place names, such as Mattern, a town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This suggests a possible connection between the surname and geographic locations, potentially indicating the origin or residence of early bearers of the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Matter surname. One such person was Johann Matter (1470-1530), a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Zurich. Another prominent figure was Joachim Matter (1619-1677), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Dresden.
Other notable individuals with the Matter surname include Friedrich Matter (1752-1832), a German jurist and politician who served as the mayor of Frankfurt am Main, and Johann Jakob Matter (1791-1866), a Swiss historian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of ancient philosophies and religions.
Additionally, the Matter surname has been associated with various branches and variations over time, such as Matern, Mattern, and Mater, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations within the Germanic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matter
Among Census respondents with the surname Matter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Matter 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 Matter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,478
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- Two or more races3.1% · 85
- Black or African American1.9% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matter
Matter 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
#11,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,870
+19 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 719 places
2020
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,744
-126 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,350 | 2,851 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,069 | 2,870 | 0.97 | +19 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 719 places |
| 2020 | #11,060 | 2,744 | 0.92 | -126 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 9 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 Matter 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 | #11,069 | #11,060 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,870 | 2,744 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.92 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matter bearers went from 2,870 to 2,744 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,069 to #11,060.
FAQ
Matter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,147 living Americans carry the surname Matter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,915 residents.
How common is Matter?
Matter ranks #11,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,744 people with the surname Matter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Matter.
Has Matter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matter went from 2,870 recorded bearers to 2,744. That is a decrease of 126 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,069 to #11,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Matter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Matter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Matter (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 Matter mean?
An occupational surname for a mower or reaper, derived from the Old English "mætere" meaning "to mow" or "to reap." 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 Matter (0.92 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 have the last name Matter?
Want to know how many people have the last name Matter? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.