2000
#6,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Mattern
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mat(t)ener," meaning a maker or seller of baskets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,777 Americans carry the last name Mattern. That puts it at #7,663 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattern 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
4.8K
1 in 71,751
Census rank
#7,663
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,166 bearers of the surname Mattern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7663rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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recorded instances of the name Mattern can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattern
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattern 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 Mattern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,856
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 143
- Two or more races2.5% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattern
Mattern 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
#7,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,705
+278 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#7,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,166
-539 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,982 | 4,427 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,110 | 4,705 | 1.60 | +278 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #7,663 | 4,166 | 1.39 | -539 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 553 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 Mattern 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 | #7,110 | #7,663 | -7.8% |
| Count | 4,705 | 4,166 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.39 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattern bearers went from 4,705 to 4,166 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 553 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,110 to #7,663.
FAQ
Mattern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattern?
Name Census estimates that about 4,777 living Americans carry the surname Mattern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,751 residents.
How common is Mattern?
Mattern ranks #7,663 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,166 people with the surname Mattern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Mattern.
Has Mattern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattern went from 4,705 recorded bearers to 4,166. That is a decrease of 539 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,110 to #7,663.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattern, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Mattern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Mattern (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 Mattern mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mat(t)ener," meaning a maker or seller of baskets. 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 Mattern (1.39 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 Mattern?
You can see how common the surname Mattern is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.