MATTOCKS
Mattocks is a surname of English origin, with occurrences in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and other English‑speaking countries. The name is recorded in the British Isles, especially in England, where it is traditionally associated with the Christian faith. It is generally understood to be derived from either a medieval given name or from an occupational term used in Anglo‑Saxon times.
The patronymic origin links Mattocks to the medieval given name Mat(t)ock, a diminutive of the personal name Matthew. Matthew is derived from the Hebrew name Matityahu, meaning “gift of Yahweh.” Consequently, the surname has been interpreted to mean “son of Matthew” or “descendant of Matthew.” Variants that reflect this lineage include Maddox, Maddocks, Maddock, Maddick, Mattock and Mattack, among others.
The alternative occupational origin stems from the Old English word mattock, a tool composed of a long handle and a stout head that combines an axe blade and an adze. Users of the mattock – such as farmers, gardeners, or tool‑makers – could have adopted the name as a descriptor. During the early stages of surname formation, individuals were often identified by trade, and the earliest bearer of the name may have been a maker or regular user of the mattock. Over centuries, as civil registration grew and surname usage became fixed, the original occupational meaning was largely lost.
Historic documents record the surname in a variety of spellings and forms. In the Domesday Book of 1086 (Gloucestershire) a person named Madoch appears, and a Madoc (1150‑1180), son of Owain Gwynedd, figures in Welsh history; both names are related to early variants of the surname. The Pipe Rolls of Shropshire (1161, 1272) contain entries for Kenwrec filius (son of) Maddoc and Madoc de Sotton, while later records (Cheshire 1290, Wiltshire 1297) provide the spellings Robert Mattok and Robert Madduk. In the 17th century, John Maddock (aged 43) in 1634 and Alexander Maddox (aged 22) in 1635 are documented as early emigrants to America. The heraldic traditions associated with the name include more than fifteen coats of arms; an example is the arms granted to Sir Benjamin Maddox of Wormley, Hertfordshire, described as divided per pale blue and red with two gold lions passant in pale. The earliest documented spelling recorded in the “Hundred Rolls of Shropshire” is that of William Madoc (1274), during the reign of King Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307.
Today, the surname Mattocks is most common in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with a notable presence in the eastern United States, particularly North Carolina. Modern web data indicate that about 3,000 individuals in the United States carry the surname. In Australia, the name is the most frequent concentration among the world’s populations, followed by England and the United States. The variety of spellings – including Maddocks, Maddick, Maddix, Madocks, Madix, Maddex, Maddox, Madox, and Madoch – reflects historical dialectal differences and the changing orthographic conventions of an illiterate society, though all derive from the same linguistic roots described above.
Typical given names associated with the Mattocks surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- Gary
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Amanda
- Claire
- Emma
- Janet
- Karen
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rea
- Rebecca
- Sally
- Sarah
- Suzanne
Similar and related surnames
- Mattick
- Mattox
- Matticks
- Maddox
- Maddock
- Mattix
- Mattock
- Matok
- Maatouk
- Madacsi
- Maddax
- Maddex
- Maddicks
- Maddix
- Maddocks
- Maddoks
- Maddux
- Madix
- Madocks
- Madox
- Matiukas
- Matlocks
- Matouk
- Mattacks
- Mattaks
- Mattess
- Matteucci
- Mattex
- Mattiucci
- Mattlock
- Mattoch
- Mattok
- Mattoks
- Mattuck
- Meddicks
- Medex
- Medicks
- Metaxa
- Mitkus
- Motteux
- Muddox
- Mutticks
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Mattocks in...
Braille
⠍⠁⠞⠞⠕⠉⠅⠎
Morse
--.-------.-.-.-...
Semaphore
There are approximately 923 people named Mattocks in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,837th most common surname in Britain. Around 14 in a million people in Britain are named Mattocks.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Mattocks
- Doug Mattocks - Cricketer (1944 to 1999)
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.