2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mattheiss
A German surname meaning "son of Matthew", derived from the given name Matthew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Mattheiss. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattheiss 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Mattheiss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattheiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattheiss
The surname Mattheiss has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German personal name Matthias or Matthaeus, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Mattithyahu, meaning "gift of God." The name likely emerged as a patronymic, denoting a son of someone named Matthias or Matthaeus.
The earliest known record of the name Mattheiss can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of Saxony, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. In a document from 1362, a certain Henrich Mattheiss was mentioned as a landowner in the town of Zwickau.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Mattheiss appeared in various records across different parts of Germany, indicating its spread and popularity. In 1487, a Johannes Mattheiss was listed as a merchant in the city of Frankfurt am Main. A century later, in 1592, a Hans Mattheiss was recorded as a master craftsman in the guild of blacksmiths in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
One notable figure with the surname Mattheiss was Johann Mattheiss, a German composer and organist who lived from 1565 to 1637. He was a prominent musician in his time and served as the court organist for the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Mattheiss, a German painter and engraver born in 1761 in Nuremberg. He is known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting the picturesque scenery of Bavaria.
In the 19th century, the name Mattheiss continued to be found in various parts of Germany. One notable figure was Carl Mattheiss, a German educator and writer who lived from 1819 to 1891. He authored several books on pedagogy and education reform, influencing the educational system of his time.
The name Mattheiss has also been documented in other European countries, such as Switzerland and Austria, suggesting that some members of the family may have migrated or settled in these regions over the centuries.
While the surname Mattheiss is not among the most common surnames in Germany today, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval period, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the country's demographic landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattheiss
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattheiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mattheiss 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 Mattheiss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattheiss
Mattheiss appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,554 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 Mattheiss 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 | #152,628 | #154,182 | -1.0% |
| Count | 107 | 103 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattheiss bearers went from 107 to 103 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,182.
FAQ
Mattheiss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattheiss?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Mattheiss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Mattheiss?
Mattheiss ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Mattheiss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mattheiss.
Has Mattheiss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattheiss went from 107 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattheiss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattheiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Mattheiss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattheiss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mattheiss (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 Mattheiss mean?
A German surname meaning "son of Matthew", derived from the given name Matthew. 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 Mattheiss (0.03 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 surname Mattheiss?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.