Matthews Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Matthews last name means, where the surname began and where it was first recorded.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Matthews coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Matthews last name
Meaning of the Matthews last name: son of Matthew ("gift of God"). Matthews is a patronymic, "son of Matthew", from the Hebrew name meaning "gift of God", borne by the apostle and evangelist. Matthew was well known in medieval England, and in Wales, where fixed surnames came late, it became one of the common patronymic names. Matthews is most frequent in south Wales and the west of England. Medieval English records give the name as Mathew, Mahew and Mayhew, the last from the Norman French form of the name. The Hebrew original, Mattityahu, was brought into Western use through the Latin Bible as Matthaeus. Welsh patronymic custom, in which a man was known as ap Mathew, "son of Mathew", gradually gave way to English-style surnames between the 16th and 18th centuries, and the -s ending is characteristic of this change. The name is also common in Cornwall and the Midlands. It spread early to Virginia and the Carolinas.
Son of Matthew
Matthews is a patronymic, "(son) of Matthew", formed with the genitive -s typical of Welsh and western English surnames. The given name goes back through Latin and Greek to Hebrew Mattityahu, "gift of God", and became popular in medieval Britain through the apostle and evangelist.
Wales shows the highest density: Forebears ranks it 37th there, against 89th in England, where about 61,000 people carry it. The United States holds the largest number, roughly 168,000 by Forebears' estimate; the 2010 Census counted 131,303 (ranked 226th). Australia and South Africa have sizeable Matthews populations too. Engineer Harry Grindell Matthews and writer Brander Matthews are two historic bearers.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Matthews name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Matthews name in Wales & England. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Australia and Canada; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
Get your full Matthews family history
The complete Matthews pack goes much further: researched origins, early records and family spread, plus a hand-checked coat of arms.
Matthews name FAQ
What does the Matthews name mean?
Son of Matthew ("gift of God"). Common variants include Mathews, Matthewson, Mathias.
Where does the Matthews surname come from?
It originates in Wales & England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Matthews coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Matthews crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Matthews coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
What does Matthews mean?
"Son of Matthew"; the given name comes from Hebrew and means "gift of God".
Is Matthews a Welsh name?
It is English and Welsh, and it is proportionally most common in Wales.
More about the Matthews name
Read about famous people named Matthews, or start tracing your own line with our guide to Matthews family history and genealogy.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010. Facts and figures: Forebears surname distribution (estimates); US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file; Wikipedia, "Matthews (surname)". Forebears figures are modelled estimates, rounded.