2000
#2,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.87
Uncommon Last name
Mattson
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Mats," a nickname for Mattias or Matthew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,297 Americans carry the last name Mattson. That puts it at #2,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mattson 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
17K
1 in 19,816
Census rank
#2,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,084 bearers of the surname Mattson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mattson
The surname Mattson has its origins in Sweden. It is a patronymic surname, meaning that it derives from a father's given name. In this case, Mattson means "son of Matt" or "son of Matthew." The name can be traced back to the late medieval period in Scandinavia.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Mattson date back to the 16th century in Sweden. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nils Mattson, a farmer from Dalarna, Sweden, who was mentioned in parish records from the 1580s. Another early example is Karin Mattsdotter, a woman from Östergötland, Sweden, who was born in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Mattson began to spread beyond Sweden. During this period, many Swedes emigrated to Finland, which was then part of the Swedish Empire. As a result, the surname Mattson became established in Finland as well.
One notable individual with the surname Mattson was Johan Mattson Lind, a Swedish-Finnish military officer and explorer who lived from 1789 to 1839. He is known for leading several expeditions to northern Scandinavia and Russia, and for his contributions to the mapping of these regions.
Another significant figure was Carl Mattson, a Swedish-American entrepreneur who lived from 1851 to 1932. He founded the Mattson Boat Company in Wisconsin, which played a vital role in the development of the freshwater fishing industry in the Great Lakes region.
In the 19th century, many Swedes and Swedish-Finns bearing the surname Mattson immigrated to the United States, particularly to the Upper Midwest. One such individual was Anders Mattson, who was born in 1820 in Dalarna, Sweden, and later settled in Minnesota.
Another notable person with the surname Mattson was Anna Mattson, a Swedish-American author and educator who lived from 1873 to 1954. She wrote several books on Swedish-American culture and history, and played a significant role in preserving and promoting Swedish heritage in the United States.
Over time, the surname Mattson has undergone various spellings and regional variations, such as Matson, Matthson, and Mathson. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mattson
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mattson 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 Mattson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 13,788
- Two or more races3.3% · 496
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 463
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 163
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 121
- Black or African American0.4% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mattson
Mattson 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
#2,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,203
+378 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.49
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#2,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,084
-1,119 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,105 | 15,825 | 5.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,247 | 16,203 | 5.49 | +378 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #2,355 | 15,084 | 5.05 | -1,119 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 108 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 Mattson 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 | #2,247 | #2,355 | -4.8% |
| Count | 16,203 | 15,084 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.49 | 5.05 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mattson bearers went from 16,203 to 15,084 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,247 to #2,355.
FAQ
Mattson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mattson?
Name Census estimates that about 17,297 living Americans carry the surname Mattson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,816 residents.
How common is Mattson?
Mattson ranks #2,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,084 people with the surname Mattson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mattson.
Has Mattson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mattson went from 16,203 recorded bearers to 15,084. That is a decrease of 1,119 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,247 to #2,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Mattson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mattson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mattson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (13,788 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mattson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Mattson (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 Mattson mean?
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Mats," a nickname for Mattias or Matthew. 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 Mattson (5.05 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 Americans have the surname Mattson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.