2000
#6,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Matz
Derived from the German name Matthias or a shortened form of Matthäus, meaning "gift of Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,479 Americans carry the last name Matz. That puts it at #6,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Matz 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
5.5K
1 in 62,558
Census rank
#6,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,778 bearers of the surname Matz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Matz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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of the earliest known references to the surname Matz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a "Heinrich Matz" in the year 1292.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Matz
Among Census respondents with the surname Matz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Matz 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 Matz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 4,378
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 178
- Two or more races2.7% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- Black or African American0.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Matz
Matz 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
#6,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,143
+20 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#6,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,778
-365 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 202 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,159 | 5,123 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,587 | 5,143 | 1.74 | +20 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #6,789 | 4,778 | 1.60 | -365 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 202 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 Matz 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 | #6,587 | #6,789 | -3.1% |
| Count | 5,143 | 4,778 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.60 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Matz bearers went from 5,143 to 4,778 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 202 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,587 to #6,789.
FAQ
Matz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Matz?
Name Census estimates that about 5,479 living Americans carry the surname Matz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,558 residents.
How common is Matz?
Matz ranks #6,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,778 people with the surname Matz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,479), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Matz.
Has Matz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Matz went from 5,143 recorded bearers to 4,778. That is a decrease of 365 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,587 to #6,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Matz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Matz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Matz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (4,378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Matz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Matz (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 Matz mean?
Derived from the German name Matthias or a shortened form of Matthäus, meaning "gift of Yahweh." 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 Matz (1.60 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 Matz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.