The Matlock surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,599 people carried this name — #2,861 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 23,400 people counted. That is up 5% from 12,017 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

31 families named Matlock, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 165 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 9
North Carolina 8
Virginia 7
South Carolina 4
New York 2
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 251 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Matlock in American newspapers,
1906–1919.

Newspaper page from The Bamberg Herald carrying the name Matlock
The Bamberg Herald 1906-08-16
Newspaper page from Trench And Camp carrying the name Matlock
Trench And Camp 1919-06-19
Newspaper page from Crittenden Press carrying the name Matlock
Crittenden Press 1906-08-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 44,936 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Matlock in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1990s.

2,455 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Matlock. The most, 779, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,747
New South Wales 419
South Australia 138
Tasmania 69
Queensland 58
Western Australia 14
ACT (Canberra) 10

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Matlock.

Who carried it

People named Matlock,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Matty Matlock
    Matty Matlock 1907–1978 · clarinetist
  • Avery Lenoir Matlock 1852–1933 · politician
  • Spider Matlock 1901–1936 · racing driver
  • Bob Matlock 1918–2006 · Australian rules football player
  • Rebecca Matlock 1928–2019 · photographer
  • John Matlock 1944–2012 · American football player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Matlock,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States606 records

606 records of the Matlock name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 380
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 157
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 23
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 17
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 17
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Dewey M. Matlock

    Born 1913 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Lee; carpenter from Lee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Maness Cemetery, Rose Hill, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Melvin G. Matlock

    Born 1930; from Howell County, Missouri. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Matlock

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Republic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 606 records for Matlock in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia33 records

33 records of the Matlock name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 11
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 9
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 9
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick Richard Matlock

    Retired compositor of Richmond, Victoria; died 1993.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Walter Matlock

    Arrived in Queensland in 1886 aboard the Almora.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Biographical index Joseph Matlock

    In the Western Australian Biographical Index.

    State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Matlock in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada21 records

21 records of the Matlock name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 13
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Matlock

    Killed in 1937 at the Dominion No. 16 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gerald Alvin Matlock

    Buried in 1999 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 74.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Rodney Keith Matlock

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 21 records for Matlock in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Germany4 records

4 records of the Matlock name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Konstantin Matlock

    From Chechlau. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 29 September 1916; then reported dead in the list of 5 November 1917 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 59).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Robert Matlock

    From Lohma, Gleiwitz. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 11 November 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 233).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Matlock in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Matlock name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Matlock

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Matlock.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Matlock is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Matlock volume
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