2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mattly
A variant spelling of the English surname Matley, itself derived from a medieval place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Mattly. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattly 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Mattly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattly
The surname Mattly has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "matly," which referred to a small meadow or a grassy clearing. This suggests that the name Mattly was likely an occupational name given to someone who lived near or worked in a grassy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mattly can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain William Mattly is mentioned. This historical document provides evidence of the name's existence during the 14th century in the West Midlands region of England.
The name Mattly can also be linked to various place names in England, such as Matley in Warwickshire and Mattley in Hampshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
A notable figure bearing the surname Mattly was John Mattly, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Wiltshire during the early 16th century. Records indicate that he was born in 1492 and died in 1568.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Mattly, a clergyman and scholar who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Oxfordshire during the late 16th century. He was born in 1549 and passed away in 1612.
In the 17th century, there was a family of Mattlys who owned a sizeable estate in Gloucestershire. The head of the family, William Mattly (1621-1698), was a respected landowner and local magistrate.
During the English Civil War, a soldier named Richard Mattly (1625-1689) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later became a prominent figure in the local community and was appointed as a justice of the peace in his hometown.
Another notable individual was Elizabeth Mattly (1752-1832), a renowned botanist and naturalist from Dorset. She was known for her extensive collection of plant specimens and her contributions to the study of local flora.
These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the surname Mattly, spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse walks of life, including merchants, clergymen, landowners, soldiers, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattly
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattly 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 Mattly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattly
Mattly 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,793 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 14,793 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,982 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 Mattly 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 | #137,327 | #141,309 | -2.9% |
| Count | 122 | 121 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattly bearers went from 122 to 121 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #141,309.
FAQ
Mattly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattly?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Mattly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Mattly?
Mattly ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Mattly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mattly.
Has Mattly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattly went from 122 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Mattly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (4.1%), Black (1.7%). 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 Mattly (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 Mattly mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Matley, itself derived from a medieval place name. 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 Mattly (0.04 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 common is the surname Mattly?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Mattly? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.