Explore the Family Name Matter

The meaning of Matter

1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Matte 1 + -er, suffix denoting an inhabitant. 2. English (Lancashire); Dutch (also De Matter): occupational name for a maker of mats, from an agent derivative of Middle English matte, Middle Dutch mat ‘mat’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Matter has slightly decreased in recent years. In 2000, it ranked as the 10,350th most common surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 11,069th place, a decrease of nearly 7%. However, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname increased modestly from 2,851 in 2000 to 2,870 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 also saw a decline of about 8.49% over the same period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#10,350	#11,069	-6.95%
Count	2,851	2,870	0.67%
Proportion per 100k	1.06	0.97	-8.49%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Matter

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Matter according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, there are some noteworthy shifts between 2000 and 2010. The largest group, those identifying as White, decreased somewhat from 95.58% to 92.65%. In contrast, those identifying as Hispanic more than doubled their share, moving from 1.19% to 2.61%. Similarly, those claiming two or more races surged from 0.67% to 2.02%. Individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander background rose from 0.74% to 0.84%, and those identifying as Black increased from 1.05% to 1.29%. On the other hand, the representation of American Indian and Alaskan Native fell from 0.77% to 0.59%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.58%	92.65%	-3.07%
Hispanic	1.19%	2.61%	119.33%
Two or More Races	0.67%	2.02%	201.49%
Black	1.05%	1.29%	22.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.74%	0.84%	13.51%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.77%	0.59%	-23.38%