2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maty
Of East European origin, referring to a person from the Mat region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Maty. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maty 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Maty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maty, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maty
The surname MATY is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English word "mæte," meaning "moderate" or "temperate." This name was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited moderation in their behavior or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MATY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, where a person named William Maty is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
During the 13th century, the surname appears in various records across the country, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a John Maty is listed in Norfolk. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 also mention a Thomas Maty from Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, the name MATY was found in various locations, including the records of the Eton College Register, which lists a Robert Maty in 1443. The Preston Guild Rolls of 1459 also mention a John Maty from Lancashire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname MATY was Matthew Maty (1718-1776), a Dutch-born physician and writer who served as the secretary of the Royal Society in London.
Another prominent figure was Paul Henry Maty (1745-1787), the son of Matthew Maty, who was a renowned scholar and editor of various literary works.
In the 19th century, Charles Henry Maty (1794-1868) was a British Army officer who served in the Peninsular War and the Battle of Waterloo.
The name MATY has also been associated with places like Maty Bridge in Somerset, England, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Matei."
Throughout history, variations in spelling have been observed, including Matty, Mattey, and Matey, which further attest to the name's longevity and evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maty
Among Census respondents with the surname Maty, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Maty 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 Maty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 99
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maty
Maty 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,969 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,969 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Maty 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maty bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Maty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maty?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Maty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Maty?
Maty ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Maty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Maty.
Has Maty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maty went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Maty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maty, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Maty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Black (3.4%). 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 Maty (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 Maty mean?
Of East European origin, referring to a person from the Mat region. 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 Maty (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 Maty?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Maty, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.