Find out how popular the last name Matz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Matz.

Matz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Matz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matz in America

Matz is the 6587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matz surname appeared 5,143 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Matz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Matz

The surname Matz originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "matz," which referred to a person who was short or small in stature. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the Old German name "Matthias" or "Matthaeus," variations of the biblical name Matthew.

The surname Matz was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria, where many families bearing this name resided. Historical records indicate that the name appeared in various medieval documents, including tax rolls and church registries.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Matz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a "Heinrich Matz" in the year 1292.

During the 16th century, the Matz surname gained further recognition with the emergence of notable individuals bearing this name. Johann Matz (1515-1592), a German theologian and reformer, played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

In the 17th century, the name Matz appeared in the records of the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that ravaged much of Central Europe. Johann Georg Matz (1612-1681), a German military officer, served as a colonel in the Imperial Army during this tumultuous period.

Another prominent figure with the surname Matz was Friedrich Wilhelm Matz (1720-1795), a German architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Potsdam. His most notable work was the design of the Neuer Garten, a landscaped park in Potsdam.

The 19th century saw the birth of Albert Matz (1828-1894), a German-American artist and painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became a prominent figure in the art community of Philadelphia.

Lastly, Friedrich Matz (1890-1975) was a German classical archaeologist and scholar who specialized in ancient Greek and Roman art. He served as the director of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome and made significant contributions to the study of ancient sculpture and architecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Matz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Matz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Matz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Matz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Matz, please contact us.

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