Show ContentsMattis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Mattis can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Piedmont. The most common type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, derived from the father's given name. The surname Mattis came from the personal name Matteo, which is the Italian form of the English Matthew. Ultimately, the name was from the Hebrew Matthew the Apostle or Saint Matthew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and meant "gift of God."

This name was adopted into Latin as both Matthias and Matthaeus. During the medieval era, the personal name Matteo became popular as people often named their children after popular saints in the hopes that the child would enjoy that saint's patronage in later life.

Early Origins of the Mattis family

The surname Mattis was first found in Abruzzi, a region in central Italy. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry.

Early History of the Mattis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mattis research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1188, 1350, 1480, 1500, 1501, 1577, 1586, 1640, 1643, 1672, 1675, 1694, 1699, 1750, 1753, 1779, 1792, 1832, 1833 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Mattis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mattis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mattei, Mattedi, Matteini, Matteis, Matteo, Matteolli, Matteoni, Matteotti, Matteucci, Matteuzzi, Mattussi, Mattuzzi, Mattouzzi, Mattevi, Mattia, Mattiassi, Mattiato, Mattiazzi, Mattiello, Mattioni, Mattiuzzi, Mattissi, Mattucci, Matussi and many more.

Early Notables of the Mattis family

Prominent among members of the family was Mattiolo Mattioli (died 1480), Italian author, professor of philosophy and medicine; Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501-1577), Italian herbalist; and Ercole Antonio Mattioli (1640-1694), Italian minister.Lapo Mazzei, was a humanist and public official in Prato in 1350 and Luigi Mattei (died 1675) was an Italian military General and Marquis de Belmonte. Vincenzo Matteucci was a renowned military leader during the 16th century. Nicola Matteis was a prominent violinist, who published 3 books for the violin in 1672 and later went on to teach and perform in London. Antonio Mazzoni was maestro di cappella in Bologna at...
Another 158 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mattis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mattis Ranking

In the United States, the name Mattis is the 10,736th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Mattis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mattis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Dorothea Mattis, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 [2]
  • Friederich Christian Mattis, aged 11, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 [2]
  • John Casper Mattis, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 [2]
  • Philipp Heinrich Mattis, aged 9, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Mattis (post 1700) +

  • Doug Mattis (1966-2023), American figure skater, the 1985 Grand Prix International St. Gervais champion, 1985 Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, 1986 Novarat Trophy silver medalist, and 1985 U.S. national junior champion
  • James Norman "Mad Dog" Mattis (b. 1950), American former 11th Commander of United States Central Command, 26th United States Secretary of Defense (2017-)
  • Marguerite A. Mattis, American Democratic Party politician, Erie County Register and Recorder of Deeds; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1956, 1960 [3]
  • Charles D. Mattis, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 15th District, 1992 [3]
  • Firmin Mattis (1929-2024), French alpine skier, who competed in the men's slalom at the 1952 Winter Olympics
  • Mattis Mathiesen (b. 1924), Norwegian photographer and film director


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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