Find out how popular the last name Mattern is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mattern.

Mattern, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mattern surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mattern in America

Mattern is the 7110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mattern surname appeared 4,705 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mattern.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mattern to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mattern

The surname Mattern has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Germanic personal name "Matthaios," which means "gift of God." This personal name was later Latinized to "Matthaeus" and eventually evolved into various surname forms, including Mattern.

The name Mattern first appeared in areas around the Rhineland and Bavaria, where it was likely adopted as a surname by families or individuals who had previously used the personal name Matthaios or one of its variants. It's believed that the name spread to other regions of Germany and neighboring countries as people migrated and settled in new areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mattern can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Henricus Mattern" from the town of Prenzlau.

In the 15th century, a notable individual named Johann Mattern (c. 1420-1487) was a German monk and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Erfurt. He is credited with contributing to the development of education and scholarship in the region during his time.

Another prominent figure with the surname Mattern was Johann Georg Mattern (1663-1719), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Coburg. His compositions, which included sacred and secular works, were highly regarded during the Baroque period.

Moving forward to the 19th century, Carl Mattern (1819-1878) was a German-American painter and lithographer known for his portraits and landscapes. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s and became a prominent figure in the art community of Philadelphia.

In the early 20th century, Johannes Mattern (1880-1956) was a German Catholic priest and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of biblical studies. He served as a professor at the University of Fribourg and published numerous works on the interpretation of the New Testament.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Mattern throughout history, highlighting the name's German origins and its presence in various fields, including academia, religion, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mattern

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mattern.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mattern was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mattern has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mattern was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mattern, please contact us.

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