2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Matusow
A Polish surname derived from the given name Matuš, a diminutive of Matous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Matusow. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matusow 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Matusow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matusow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Matusow
The surname Matusow originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely taking root during the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic personal name Matthäus, itself a variation of the biblical name Matthew, meaning "gift of God." The suffix "-ow" or "-au" was a common addition in many German surnames, often indicating a place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Matusow name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Hans Matusow is listed as a landowner in the year 1497. There are also references to a Matusow family living in the village of Dornstetten, in the Black Forest region of what is now Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the 16th century.
The name Matusow appears to have spread throughout central Europe over the centuries, with various spellings emerging in different regions. In the Czech lands, for instance, the name was often rendered as Matušov or Matušowicz. A notable figure bearing this variant was Jan Matušowicz (1518-1582), a Czech humanist scholar and writer.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Matusow family settled in the Duchy of Pomerania, then part of Prussia. One member of this line, Friedrich Wilhelm Matusow (1763-1842), served as a lieutenant in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the 19th century dawned, the Matusow name had also taken root in parts of what is now Poland. A prominent Polish Matusow was Władysław Matusow (1838-1912), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Galician Diet, representing the city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine).
Another figure of note was the Russian-born artist Mikhail Matusovsky (1892-1963), whose works were exhibited in major galleries across Europe and the United States during the early 20th century.
While these are just a handful of examples, the Matusow surname has a rich and diverse history, reflecting the movement of peoples and cultures across the European continent over many centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matusow
Among Census respondents with the surname Matusow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Matusow 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 Matusow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matusow
Matusow 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,029 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 18,029 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,900 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 Matusow 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 | #149,395 | #146,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 110 | 114 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matusow bearers went from 110 to 114 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #146,495.
FAQ
Matusow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matusow?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Matusow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Matusow?
Matusow ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Matusow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Matusow.
Has Matusow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matusow went from 110 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Matusow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matusow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Matusow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matusow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Matusow (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 Matusow mean?
A Polish surname derived from the given name Matuš, a diminutive of Matous. 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 Matusow (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 many Americans have the surname Matusow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.