Matkyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

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

Early Origins of the Matkyn family

The surname Matkyn 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 Matkyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Matkyn 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 Matkyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Matkyn Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Matkyn have included Mathews, Mathew, Matthew, Matthews, Mathewes and others.

Early Notables of the Matkyn family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir David Mathew (1400-1484) was a Welsh knight, Lord of Llandaff, Seneschal of Llandaff Cathedral, one of the ten Great Barons of Glamorgan, Marcher Lord and Standard Bearer of England; Pope Matthew I of Alexandria (Matheos) (1378-1408), 87th Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Matkyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Matkyn family to Ireland

Some of the Matkyn 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.

Migration of the Matkyn family

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 Matkyn: Samuel Matthews, who came to Virginia from London in about 1618 and established a plantation at the mouth of the Warwick River; John Mathew, who settled in Virginia in 1639.

The Matkyn 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.