MATHEWS
The surname Mathews is of patronymic origin, derived from the Christian given name Matthew. The name Matthew itself is a translation of the Hebrew Matityahu, meaning “gift of Yahweh” or “gift of God”. Consequently the surname signifies son of Matthew, indicating a direct filial relationship to a male ancestor who bore the given name.
In the British Isles the earliest surviving uses of the name appear after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Prior to this date the patronymic form was rarely recorded, and the name was not used as a hereditary surname. The Norman invasion introduced a new pattern of record-keeping that allowed names such as Mathews to appear formally in documents.
The surname rose to prominence in the late 12th century, when returning Crusaders from the Holy Land gave the name to one of their sons in commemoration of their expedition. This practice of adopting a patronymic surname that reflected a religious or heroic association was common among English and Scottish families of the period.
The earliest documentary references to the underlying Hebrew or biblical name appear in the Domesday Book of 1086. In that record the Latin form Matthaeus and the French spelling Mathieu are listed, but these entries identify priests, not hereditary surnames. The first appearance of Mathews as a family name is in the mid-13th century.
Examples include John Mathows of Whitby in Yorkshire, recorded in 1395, and Hugh Mathewman in the 1379 poll tax rolls, also of Yorkshire. Both instances demonstrate the surname’s use in Yorkshire communities during the late medieval period.
The final “s” in Mathews is a reduced form of the Middle English patronymic suffix indicating “son of”. The full patronymic was not documented until the early 15th century, when a certain John Matheuson appears in the register of the Freemen of York in 1416, providing a clear illustration of the name’s evolution from given name to family surname.
In the colonial period, members of the family emigrated to the New World. Captain Samuell Matthews is recorded as residing at the plantation of James Cittie in Virginia in February 1623. Later, Christopher Mathews married Ellyn Smith on 18 May 1642, at St. Benet’s in Paul's Wharf, London, exemplifying the family’s continued presence on the English mainland while also establishing roots in the Americas.
The earliest definitive spelling of the surname appears in the Assise Rolls of Cambridge in 1260, where an Alan Mathew is documented during the reign of King Henry (the period 1216–1272 is often referred to as “The Frenchman”). This record confirms the name’s established use in England during the mid-13th century.
Today, the surname Mathews is common in English‑speaking countries, particularly the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. Its continued use reflects a strong historical continuity that traces back to biblical roots, medieval English and Scottish naming practices, and the legacy of early colonial migration.
Typical given names associated with the Mathews surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Catherine
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Janet
- Julie
- Laura
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Mates
- Math
- Mathais
- Mathas
- Mathaws
- Mathe
- Mathea
- Matheas
- Mathee
- Matheis
- Mathen
- Mathens
- Matheos
- Matheous
- Mathes
- Mathess
- Matheu
- Matheus
- Mathew
- Mathewes
- Mathewick
- Mathewsen
- Mathewson
- Mathey
- Mathhews
- Mathias
- Mathie
- Mathies
- Mathieu
- Mathiew
- Mathiews
- Mathis
- Mathoo
- Maths
- Mathu
- Mathue
- Mathues
- Mathus
- Mathuse
- Mathwes
- Mathys
- Mattews
- Matthas
- Mattheas
- Matthees
- Mattheis
- Matthens
- Matthes
- Mattheus
- Matthew
- Matthewes
- Matthews
- Mattheys
- Matthies
- Matthieu
- Matthis
- Matthus
- Matthwes
- Matthws
- Matthys
- Mattthews
- Maythew
- Methew
- Methews
- Metthews
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Mathews in...
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There are approximately 5,530 people named Mathews in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,716th most common surname in Britain. Around 85 in a million people in Britain are named Mathews.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Mathews
- Derry Mathews - Boxer
- Charles Elkin Mathews - Publisher and bookseller; co-founder of The Bodley Head with John Lane (1851 to 1921)
- Alfred Mathews - Welsh rugby union player (1864 to 1946)
- Frederick Mathews - Cricketer (1861 to 1950)
- Kenneth Mathews - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.