2000
#3,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.66
Uncommon Last name
Mattox
An English surname derived from the given name Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,124 Americans carry the last name Mattox. That puts it at #3,584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattox 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 Mattox with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,812
Census rank
#3,584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,701 bearers of the surname Mattox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattox, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattox
The surname Mattox is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Matthew, which is ultimately from the Hebrew name Mattathyahu. The name Mattathyahu is composed of the elements "mattan" meaning "gift" and "yah" referring to the Hebrew God. The surname Mattox emerged as an English patronymic name, meaning "son of Matthew."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mattox can be found in historical records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Mattox, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285. Another early record is of John Mattox, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
In the 16th century, the surname Mattox was also found in various spellings, such as Matox, Mattocke, and Mattocks. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Sir John Mattocks (c. 1520 - 1586), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Arundel in 1571.
During the 17th century, the surname Mattox was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in England. One notable individual from this era was Captain William Mattox (c. 1630 - 1687), an English sea captain and merchant who traded with the American colonies.
In the 18th century, the surname Mattox continued to be found throughout England, with some bearers of the name emigrating to the American colonies. One such individual was John Mattox (c. 1710 - 1782), an early settler in Virginia who is recorded as having lived in Hanover County.
Another notable bearer of the surname Mattox was Sir Frederick Mattox (1805 - 1873), a British diplomat and politician who served as an envoy to various European countries. He was also a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Richmond in Yorkshire from 1852 to 1857.
Throughout history, the surname Mattox has been carried by a diverse range of individuals, from landowners and politicians to merchants and sea captains. While the name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval English patronymic name derived from the Hebrew personal name Matthew.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattox
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattox, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattox 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 Mattox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.4% · 6,732
- Black or African American21.7% · 2,101
- Two or more races4.5% · 438
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 312
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattox
Mattox 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
#3,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,099
+218 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#3,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,701
-398 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,318 | 9,881 | 3.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,535 | 10,099 | 3.42 | +218 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #3,584 | 9,701 | 3.25 | -398 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 49 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 Mattox 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 | #3,535 | #3,584 | -1.4% |
| Count | 10,099 | 9,701 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 3.25 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattox bearers went from 10,099 to 9,701 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,535 to #3,584.
FAQ
Mattox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattox?
Name Census estimates that about 11,124 living Americans carry the surname Mattox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,812 residents.
How common is Mattox?
Mattox ranks #3,584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,701 people with the surname Mattox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mattox.
Has Mattox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattox went from 10,099 recorded bearers to 9,701. That is a decrease of 398 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,535 to #3,584.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattox, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mattox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (6,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.4%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mattox (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 Mattox mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God." 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 Mattox (3.25 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 Mattox?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mattox? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.