2000
#19,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Mattila
A locational surname derived from the place name Mattila in Finland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,683 Americans carry the last name Mattila. That puts it at #18,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 203,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattila 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
1.7K
1 in 203,657
Census rank
#18,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,468 bearers of the surname Mattila in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattila, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattila
The surname Mattila is of Finnish origin and dates back several centuries. It is derived from the Finnish word "matta" meaning "mat" or "rug", suggesting that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade related to mat-making or a place associated with this craft.
Mattila is a locative surname, indicating a connection to a specific place or region. In this case, the suffix "-la" denotes a location, implying that the name originated from a place where mats were produced or where mat makers resided.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mattila can be found in the Finnish parish records dating back to the 17th century. These records provide valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of the name in various regions of Finland during that time period.
In the 18th century, the name Mattila appeared in several historical documents, including land records and tax registries. One notable individual bearing this surname was Matti Mattila (1735-1807), a prominent farmer and landowner from the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland.
As the Mattila name spread across Finland, it also underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Mattilä, Matila, and Matilla. These variations were often due to regional dialects or linguistic differences within different parts of the country.
In the 19th century, the name Mattila gained further recognition with the birth of Jaakko Mattila (1838-1912), a renowned Finnish theologian and pastor who served in several parishes throughout his career.
Another notable figure with the Mattila surname was Juho Mattila (1870-1936), a Finnish politician and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in shaping the country's political landscape during the early 20th century.
During the 20th century, the Mattila name continued to be associated with various accomplished individuals, including Vilho Mattila (1892-1976), a Finnish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Finnish immigrant experiences in the United States.
Additionally, Martti Mattila (1908-1994) was a prominent Finnish architect known for his contributions to the modernist architectural movement in Finland, designing several notable buildings and structures throughout his career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattila
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattila, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattila 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 Mattila surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,362
- Two or more races3.3% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattila
Mattila 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
#19,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,395
+76 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#18,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,468
+73 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 809 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,079 | 1,319 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,379 | 1,395 | 0.47 | +76 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #18,570 | 1,468 | 0.49 | +73 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 809 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 Mattila 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 | #19,379 | #18,570 | 4.2% |
| Count | 1,395 | 1,468 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.49 | 4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattila bearers went from 1,395 to 1,468 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 809 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,379 to #18,570.
FAQ
Mattila surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattila?
Name Census estimates that about 1,683 living Americans carry the surname Mattila. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 203,657 residents.
How common is Mattila?
Mattila ranks #18,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 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 1,468 people with the surname Mattila. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 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 Mattila.
Has Mattila become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattila went from 1,395 recorded bearers to 1,468. That is an increase of 73 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,379 to #18,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattila?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattila, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mattila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattila appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Mattila (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 Mattila mean?
A locational surname derived from the place name Mattila in Finland. 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 Mattila (0.49 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 Mattila?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.