2000
#8,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,390
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Mattos
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name Mateus, meaning "gift of God" or "God's gift."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,785 Americans carry the last name Mattos. That puts it at #9,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattos 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
3.8K
1 in 90,556
Census rank
#9,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,301 bearers of the surname Mattos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattos, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.9%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattos
The surname Mattos has its origins in Portugal, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "mattus," meaning "dull" or "foolish," suggesting that the name may have been initially applied as a nickname to someone perceived as lacking intelligence or being simple-minded.
In its early years, the name was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. Historical documents from this period, such as parish records and property deeds, often feature variations of the spelling, including "Matos," "Mathos," and "Matthos."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Portuguese version of the Libro de las Bestias, a medieval bestiary dating back to the 13th century. This manuscript mentions a "João Mattos" as one of the scribes responsible for its transcription.
As the name spread throughout Portugal, it became associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Fernão Mattos, a 15th-century navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
In the 16th century, the Mattos family gained prominence in the Portuguese city of Évora, where they established themselves as landowners and influential citizens. One member, António de Mattos (1540-1612), served as a magistrate and played a significant role in the city's governance.
During the 17th century, the name crossed the Atlantic with Portuguese settlers and colonists, taking root in Brazil. One of the earliest recorded Mattos in the Americas was Pedro de Mattos (1615-1687), a Portuguese soldier and administrator who served as the governor of Rio de Janeiro from 1679 to 1682.
As the centuries passed, the Mattos name continued to spread globally, with individuals bearing the surname making their mark in various fields. Notable examples include José Ferreira Mattos (1804-1875), a Brazilian writer and journalist renowned for his contributions to the country's literary canon, and Manuel de Mattos (1866-1934), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1923 to 1925.
While the origins of the surname Mattos can be traced back to medieval Portugal, it has since become a widely dispersed name, found in communities across the globe, particularly in regions with strong Portuguese and Brazilian cultural influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattos
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattos, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.9%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattos 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 Mattos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 2,163
- Hispanic or Latino19.9% · 656
- Two or more races7.0% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 152
- Black or African American2.7% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattos
Mattos 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
#7,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,260
+870 bearers (+25.7%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 1,094 places
2020
#9,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,301
-959 bearers (-22.5%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 1,647 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,879 | 3,390 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,785 | 4,260 | 1.44 | +870 bearers (+25.7%) | Up 1,094 places |
| 2020 | #9,432 | 3,301 | 1.10 | -959 bearers (-22.5%) | Down 1,647 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 Mattos 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 | #7,785 | #9,432 | -21.2% |
| Count | 4,260 | 3,301 | -22.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.10 | -23.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattos bearers went from 4,260 to 3,301 (-22.5% change). The surname moved down 1,647 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,785 to #9,432.
FAQ
Mattos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattos?
Name Census estimates that about 3,785 living Americans carry the surname Mattos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,556 residents.
How common is Mattos?
Mattos ranks #9,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,301 people with the surname Mattos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,785), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Mattos.
Has Mattos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattos went from 4,260 recorded bearers to 3,301. That is a decrease of 959 (-22.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,785 to #9,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattos, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.9%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Mattos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (2,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Hispanic (19.9%), Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Mattos (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 Mattos mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name Mateus, meaning "gift of God" or "God's gift." 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 Mattos (1.10 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 Mattos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.