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

Matza, 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 Matza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matza in America

Matza is the 71042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matza surname appeared 275 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Matza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matza 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 Matza

The surname Matza has its roots in central Europe, originating in the region that is now modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, between the 13th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Slavic personal name Maczek or Maczko, which in turn may have its origins in the Old Polish word "macz" meaning "to soak" or "to immerse."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th-century Polish census record, where it is spelled as "Maczka." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupational surname, possibly referring to someone who worked in a profession that involved soaking or immersing materials, such as a tanner or a dyer.

By the 16th century, the name had spread across central and eastern Europe, with variations in spelling such as "Matzka," "Maczka," and "Matza" appearing in historical records from regions like Silesia, Bohemia, and Moravia. One notable early bearer of the name was Jan Matza, a Czech merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Brno in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name gained some prominence in Poland, with Andrzej Matza, a Polish nobleman and military officer, serving as a captain in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army during the Polish-Muscovite War of 1654-1667. Another notable figure was Franciszek Matza, a Polish painter and engraver active in the mid-17th century, whose works can still be found in various art collections across Europe.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to be present in various regions of central and eastern Europe. One significant bearer was Jakub Matza, a Czech writer and journalist who lived from 1805 to 1877 and played a role in the Czech National Revival movement. In Poland, the name was carried by Wincenty Matza, a 19th-century landowner and philanthropist who donated significant funds towards the establishment of schools and hospitals in his region.

As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through immigration. One example is Johann Matza, a German immigrant to the United States who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century and whose descendants can be found across various states.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matza

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

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 Matza 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 Matza 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 Matza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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