2000
#4,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.63
Rare Last name
Mattison
Son of Matthew or Matthias, derived from the Hebrew name "Matityahu" meaning "gift of Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,164 Americans carry the last name Mattison. That puts it at #4,814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattison 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 Mattison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,984
Census rank
#4,814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,119 bearers of the surname Mattison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattison, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattison
The surname Mattison is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Matthew, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Mattathyahu, meaning "gift of Yahweh." The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 12th century in various parts of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Matyson, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. The surname also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where a certain John Matyson was listed.
The name Mattison is believed to have been initially derived from the patronymic form "Matthew's son," which over time became solidified as a surname. Various spellings of the name were common in medieval records, including Matyson, Matthyson, and Mathison.
In the 13th century, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some early examples include Robert Mathyson, who was recorded in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines in 1272, and Richard Matyson, mentioned in the Nottinghamshire Borough Records in 1349.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Sir Walter Mattison, a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Mattison, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who lived in the late 15th century.
Other notable bearers of the name include Sir John Mattison (1580-1632), an English politician and Member of Parliament; William Mattison (1625-1701), a Puritan minister and author; and Mary Mattison (1679-1739), an English poet and writer.
The surname Mattison has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Mattison's Croft in Yorkshire and Mattison's Field in Lincolnshire, further indicating the surname's long-standing presence in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattison
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattison, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattison 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 Mattison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 5,182
- Black or African American19.1% · 1,363
- Two or more races4.7% · 337
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattison
Mattison 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
#4,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,485
+402 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#4,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,119
-366 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,588 | 7,083 | 2.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,737 | 7,485 | 2.54 | +402 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #4,814 | 7,119 | 2.38 | -366 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 77 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 Mattison 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 | #4,737 | #4,814 | -1.6% |
| Count | 7,485 | 7,119 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.38 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattison bearers went from 7,485 to 7,119 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,737 to #4,814.
FAQ
Mattison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattison?
Name Census estimates that about 8,164 living Americans carry the surname Mattison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,984 residents.
How common is Mattison?
Mattison ranks #4,814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,119 people with the surname Mattison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mattison.
Has Mattison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattison went from 7,485 recorded bearers to 7,119. That is a decrease of 366 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,737 to #4,814.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattison, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mattison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (5,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mattison (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 Mattison mean?
Son of Matthew or Matthias, derived from the Hebrew name "Matityahu" meaning "gift of Yahweh." 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 Mattison (2.38 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 Mattison?
See how many Americans have the surname Mattison on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.