Contents [hide]

Matthew History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Matthew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Wales
Ireland

The surname Matthew is a patronymic surname created from the personal name Matthew.

Early Origins of the Matthew family

The surname Matthew was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Matthew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Matthew research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1378, 1400, 1408, 1484, 1546, 1577, 1600, 1628, 1655, 1656, 1660, 1676, 1751, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Matthew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Matthew Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Matthew have included Mathews, Mathew, Matthew, Matthews, Mathewes and others.

Early Notables of the Matthew family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Pope Matthew I of Alexandria (Matheos) (1378-1408), 87th Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, revered as a saint by the Coptic Church
Tobias Matthew (1546-1628), Archbishop of York, statesman and writer
Sir Tobie Matthew (1577-1655), English MP, courtier, diplomat, priest and writer
Captain Samuel Matthews (1600-1660), became an English Colonial Governor of Virginia in 1656

Matthew Ranking

In the United States, the name Matthew is the 2,827^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Matthew family to Ireland

Some of the Matthew family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Matthew migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Matthew:

Matthew Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Matthew, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 2

Matthew Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dietrick Matthew, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2

Matthew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Matthew, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 2
Joseph Matthew, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 2
Catherine Matthew, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2

Matthew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Matthew Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Matthew, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Morrice Matthew, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Matthew Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Matthew, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick between 1749 and 1800
George Matthew, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1813
Thomas Matthew, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834

Matthew migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Matthew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Matthew, a coach-maker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Selina Matthew, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Rajah" 3
Serina Matthew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajah" in 1849 3
Richard Matthew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 4
Miss Ann Matthew, (McLea) who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 25th October 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Matthew migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Matthew Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Daniel Matthew, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
Hannah Matthew a servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eagle" in 1854 6
Mrs. S. L. Matthew, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 7
Mr. William Matthew, (b. 1833), aged 25, Scottish agricultural labourer from Forfarshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Strathallan" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st January 1859 8
Miss Mary Ann Matthew, (b. 1813), aged 46, English housemaid from Somerset travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Matthew (post 1700) +

Arthur William Matthew, American actor, co-star of television's "The Honeymooners" in 1955-1956
Ms. Laurie Anne Matthew O.B.E., British Founder for Eighteen and Under, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Young People and Survivors of Sexual Abuse 9
Brian Matthew (1928-2017), English broadcaster who worked for the BBC for 63 years (1954-2017)
CatrIona Matthew MBE (b. 1969), Scottish LPGA professional golfer
Sir Tobie Matthew (1577-1655), English MP, courtier, diplomat and writer
Tobias Matthew (1546-1628), Archbishop of York, statesman and writer
Sir Robert Hogg Matthew OBE, FRIBA (1906-1975), Scottish architect
Gordon Matthew Sumner CBE (b. 1951), English Rock musician, known by the nickname "Sting", recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, and an Oscar nomination for best song
John Matthew Stafford (b. 1988), American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League, winning quarterback of Super Bowl LVI in 2022
James Matthew Lee PC (1937-2023), Canadian politician who was the 26th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1981 to 1986

The Matthew Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Y fyn Duw a fydd
Motto Translation: What God wills, will be.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJAH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Rajah.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SIR EDWARD PARRY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849SirEdwardParry.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists