Explore the Family Name Matsuo

The meaning of Matsuo

Japanese: written 松尾 ‘pine tree’ and ‘lower slope (of a mountain)’. It is mainly found in the islands of Kyūshū and Okinawa. One family is of Shintō priestly origin; two others descend from branches of the Taira and Minamoto clans. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Kiyoshi, Hideo, Kenji, Hiroshi, Kazuyuki, Kenichi, Kyoko, Mami, Miyoko, Naoko, Takashi, Tomoyuki.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Matsuo in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Matsuo saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked at 28,700 but fell to 30,442 by 2010, marking a decrease of 6.07%. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Matsuo surname also declined from 781 in 2000 to 767 in 2010, representing a minor decrease of 1.79%. The proportion per 100,000 people also witnessed a downfall of 10.34%, going from 0.29 in 2000 to 0.26 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,700	#30,442	-6.07%
Count	781	767	-1.79%
Proportion per 100k	0.29	0.26	-10.34%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Matsuo

The ethnic identity associated with the Matsuo surname, as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census, primarily belongs to the Asian/Pacific Islander group despite a drop of 8.15% between 2000 and 2010. However, there was an increase in the percentage of Matsuos identifying with two or more races, which went up by a significant 70.49% during the same period. Meanwhile, the proportion of Matsuos identifying as White saw a modest increase of 24.51%, and those identifying as Hispanic increased by 52.48%. No Matsuos identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	86.3%	79.27%	-8.15%
Two or More Races	6.27%	10.69%	70.49%
White	4.61%	5.74%	24.51%
Hispanic	2.82%	4.3%	52.48%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%