The English surname Matthews is patronymic in origin, being of those surnames based on the first name of a father.  In this instance, the surname simply means “gift of Jehouah”, from the Hebrew “Mattathiah” which was latinised as Mattheaus and Mattaeus, which in France became Mathieu and Mahieu.  The surname was then introduced into England by the Normans in 1066 where the name became very common during the Middle Ages.  Indeed, the name Matheus appears as far back as 1086 in the Domesday Book.  The prevalence of the surname today is shown by the number of variant surnames derived from the personal name of Matthew and its pet forms.

 

There are numerous medieval references to the surname, which are substantiated by various sources, some of which include Alan Mathew who was mentioned in the “Assize Rolls” for Cambridgeshire in 1260 and also Agnes Mathews who was mentioned in the “Poll Tax Returns” for Yorkshire in 1379.  A notable bearer of the surname includes Brander Matthews (1852-1929), the American author and teacher who was the first professor of dramatic literature in any university in 1900.  One Roger Matthews, aged twenty-eight, sailed aboard the ship “Abraham” from London to Virginia in October, 1635 and is evidence of the early existence of the surname in America.  There are one hundred and forty three instances of the surname recorded in the “London Commercial and Court Directory” of 1870.  Variants of the name include Mathew, Mathews, Mathewson and Mathewes.

 

BLAZON OF ARMS:   Gules, three catherine wheels argent, on a chief of the

                                     second, a bull’s head couped sable.

 

CREST:                         A bull’s head couped sable, between two wings                                                                endorsed argent.

 

MOTTO:                       Omne solum viro patria est.

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TRANSLATION:            Every land is a brave man’s country.

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ORGIN:                         England

 

 

[Information from The Historical Research Centre USA 1994.]