Matthew Surname

6,077th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 93,045 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Nigeria
Highest density in:
Dominica

Matthew Surname Definition:

From the Hebrew personal name Mattithyah, 'gift of Yahweh,' through Gr. Mattathias Latin Matthaeus. Matheus son of Dufsyth the Celtic lord of Conan or Cairnconan (RAA., I, p. 40), Matheus, chancellor to Alexander II, 1229, and Matheus, burgess of Aberbrothock, 1242 (ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Matthew Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Nigeria61,9371:2,860368
United States9,3591:38,7284,770
Ghana2,7711:9,7511,311
England2,4991:22,2963,116
Australia2,0001:13,4981,938
Liberia1,5251:2,891376
Kuwait1,3021:2,919381
Scotland1,2351:4,335750
Canada1,1541:31,9294,149
South Africa8891:60,9427,696
Dominica7991:9513
Papua New Guinea6751:12,0801,104
Trinidad and Tobago6051:2,255389
Malaysia5481:53,8224,171
United Arab Emirates4511:20,3152,357
Saint Kitts and Nevis4301:12823
Antigua and Barbuda4101:24237
India3961:1,937,03467,148
Grenada3361:32352
Egypt3051:301,42919,796
Saint Lucia2791:641110
Saudi Arabia2781:110,99214,774
United States Virgin Islands2421:45642
New Zealand2021:22,4173,922
France1551:428,53462,172
Marshall Islands1411:36850
Singapore1331:41,4111,573
Afghanistan1301:247,3324,234
Wales1151:26,9092,781
Hong Kong1121:65,4951,203
Ireland1021:46,1663,435
Dominican Republic1001:104,3294,466
Indonesia1001:1,322,49291,711
Tanzania871:608,52437,695
British Virgin Islands841:37681
Jamaica741:38,7832,556
Netherlands681:248,34131,935
Kenya671:689,25229,975
Bermuda631:1,036166
Iran611:1,258,73053,327
Bahrain591:22,8584,582
Guyana581:13,1421,824
Zimbabwe501:308,76530,783
Sudan491:765,5142,614
China461:29,724,3821,576
Solomon Islands461:12,6092,306
Russia301:4,804,102217,805
Spain301:1,558,40147,033
Thailand291:2,435,805267,220
Germany261:3,096,364143,912
Suriname261:21,2544,689
Cameroon231:903,00360,285
Philippines211:4,820,868168,058
Aruba181:5,749789
Greece161:692,48777,522
Sierra Leone161:443,102516
Israel141:611,26042,949
Northern Ireland131:141,9267,751
Iceland131:29,2382,297
Kazakhstan121:1,473,54175,349
Uganda121:3,253,27385,117
Anguilla111:1,221122
Belgium111:1,045,14978,166
Switzerland91:912,54658,198
Ecuador81:1,988,23121,385
Guam81:20,0153,029
Saint Martin81:4,394114
Poland71:5,429,821146,768
American Samoa61:9,2931,961
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Brazil51:42,814,866547,158
Italy51:12,231,338126,430
Mexico51:24,825,24158,251
Pakistan51:35,728,777102,388
Barbados41:71,8621,737
DR Congo41:18,469,892182,906
Ethiopia41:24,386,56619,165
Ivory Coast41:5,767,80855,416
Malta41:107,5681,849
Panama41:978,06412,245
Sri Lanka41:5,202,14012,146
Ukraine41:11,380,674331,818
Yemen41:6,606,32425,896
Denmark31:1,881,57267,227
Lebanon31:1,879,02822,073
Nicaragua31:2,007,0306,490
Norway31:1,714,09579,528
Sweden31:3,282,252190,759
Venezuela31:10,068,02660,591
Vietnam31:30,882,0184,101
Bolivia21:5,308,21712,400
Cambodia21:7,743,57311,959
Colombia21:23,887,03632,612
Finland21:2,748,35172,663
Honduras21:4,408,2217,709
Hungary21:4,908,13864,617
Japan21:63,922,14662,827
Lesotho21:1,016,27921,693
Montserrat21:2,474299
Namibia21:1,204,70016,113
Oman21:1,843,9869,590
Puerto Rico21:1,775,0706,602
Senegal21:7,289,6718,117
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Turks and Caicos Islands21:17,164627
Argentina11:42,743,414282,706
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Belize11:355,4743,977
Benin11:10,335,602103,742
Botswana11:2,186,92930,250
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Cape Verde11:529,6426,792
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Equatorial Guinea11:1,135,674984
Gambia11:1,923,4511,043
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Greenland11:56,3791,133
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
Haiti11:10,683,90724,607
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Madagascar11:23,649,8379,420
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Micronesia11:106,2431,380
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Mongolia11:2,825,28917,010
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Northern Cyprus11:319,01110,202
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
South Sudan11:11,415,0763,182
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland551:80,5435,643
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1,2111:20,1282,865
Scotland1,0231:3,659602
Wales521:30,1621,677
Guernsey41:8,1641,328
Isle of Man11:54,2692,077
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States9761:51,4545,826

Matthew (1,662,801) may also be a first name.

Matthew Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

From the Hebrew personal name Mattithyah, 'gift of Yahweh,' through Gr. Mattathias Latin Matthaeus. Matheus son of Dufsyth the Celtic lord of Conan or Cairnconan (RAA., I, p. 40), Matheus, chancellor to Alexander II, 1229, and Matheus, burgess of Aberbrothock, 1242 (ibid., p. 79, 82, 86). John Mathow in Ralhoussy, 1614 (Trials, 111, p. 265). Robert Mathow, burgess freeman of Glasgow, 1661 (Burgesses), and Patrick Mathew, late town officer in Edinburgh, 1721 (Guildry, p; 124).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

'son of Matthew,' which see.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(A. - Latin - Greek-Hebrew) Gift of Jehovah [Latin Matthæus, Matthias, Greek Ματθαίας, Ματθίας, Hebrew Mattathiáh-mattath, a gift + yáh, abbrev. of Jehóváh] Mat(t)hew is used as an Anglicization of Mahon, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Gift of God” (Mattathias), in Hebrew.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(Welsh, English) The son of Matthew (gift of Jehovah).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

This baptismal name, introduced here at the Conquest, has not only become a surname, but the parent of many others: to wit, Mathew, Matthews, Mathews, Matthewson, Matthie, Mathieson, Matson, Mayhew, Mayo, Matts, Matty, Maddy, Madison.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(Hebrew.) The gift of the Lord.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Matthews,Matthew. —A line drawn across England from the Humber to the Dee will mark the northern boundary of the area of distribution of these names. Matthews is by far the most frequent form of the name. It is found in varying numbers in most of the counties south of this line, being less common in the eastern half of the area, and having its principal homes in the western portion in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Wiltshire, and Cornwall. Matthew is mostly characteristic of Suffolk. These names are but scantily represented in the north of England by the Mathisons, Mattisons, and Matsons of Yorkshire Matts is a curious contraction found in Leicestershire and Rutland. Matheson and Mathieson are found in Scotland, but in inconsiderable numbers and with apparently no definite distribution.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

It is a male surname, derived from the Hebrew (archaic) noun matán, which means 'gift' or 'a giving'. In the New Testament of the Bible, Matthan is the name of Jesus's great-grandfather (paternal), although here it is given in its Greek transliterated form Ματθαν.

- Baleg

This surname probably has its origin in the Hebrew given name, Mattathiah. This name spread to Europe as Matthaeus, Mathieu, Mathows, Matthews, Mathew, Matthew, Matuš, Mathaus, Matouš, Matoušek, Matušek, Macieiczyk and more.

- dominikmatus

Matthew Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Matthew Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Matthew (Arabic: ماثّيو, Bengali: মথিও, Hindi: मैथ्यू, Marathi: मात्थेव, Oriya: ମାଥିଉ) has its highest incidence in Nigeria. It may also be found as a variant:. Click here for other potential spellings of Matthew.

How Common Is The Last Name Matthew? popularity and diffusion

The last name Matthew is the 6,077th most common surname in the world, borne by around 1 in 78,323 people. The surname occurs mostly in Africa, where 73 percent of Matthew are found; 71 percent are found in West Africa and 70 percent are found in Atlantic-Niger Africa. It is also the 417th most widespread first name at a global level. It is borne by 1,662,801 people.

The last name is most frequently used in Nigeria, where it is held by 61,937 people, or 1 in 2,860. In Nigeria Matthew is mostly found in: Akwa Ibom, where 14 percent reside, Kogi, where 7 percent reside and Lagos, where 7 percent reside. Besides Nigeria it is found in 142 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 10 percent reside and Ghana, where 3 percent reside.

Matthew Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Matthew has changed through the years. In The United States the share of the population with the last name rose 959 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 206 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 121 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 221 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it rose 185 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Matthew Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the Matthew last name is chiefly Catholic (42%) in Ireland, Christian (100%) in Kenya and Christian (99%) in Nigeria.

In The United States those bearing the Matthew surname are 5.29% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 52.06% being registered to vote for the party.

The amount Matthew earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 400.68% more than the national average, earning 1,732,740 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 58.67% more than the national average, earning R 377,052 per year; in United States they earn 3.54% less than the national average, earning $41,621 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.36% more than the national average, earning $50,856 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Matthew Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Matthew in the Bengali language
মথিওmathi'o-
Matthew in the Hindi language
मैथ्यूmaithyu-
Matthew in the Oriya language
ମାଥିଉmathi'u-
Matthew in the Marathi language
मात्थेवmat'theva-
Matthew in the Arabic language
ماثّيوmathyw-
ماثيوmathyw-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Matthew
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis