Show ContentsMatte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Matte family

The surname Matte 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 Matte family

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

Matte 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 Matte have included Mathews, Mathew, Matthew, Matthews, Mathewes and others.

Early Notables of the Matte 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 Matte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Matte World Ranking

In the United States, the name Matte is the 9,216th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Matte is ranked the 949th most popular surname with an estimated 5,698 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Matte is the 449th popular surname. 3 France ranks Matte as 9,321st with 500 - 1,000 people. 4

Ireland Migration of the Matte family to Ireland

Some of the Matte 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.


United States Matte migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Matte:

Matte Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gottlob Matte, who landed in Brazil in 1828 5
  • Joseph Matte, who was naturalized in Oregon in 1841

Canada Matte migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Matte Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Nicolas Matte, (1636 - 1704), son of Charles and Barbe, who married Madeleine Auvray, (1654 - 1734), daughter of Antoine and Marie, in Quebec on 12th October 1671. He arrived in North America in 1666. 6
Matte Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Laurent Matte, (1677 - 1749), son of Nicolas and Marie-Madeleine, who married Françoise Silvestre, (1682 - 1760), daughter of Nicolas and Barbe, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 12th August 1702 6
  • Nicolas Matte, (1682 - 1760), son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Marie-Angélique Louise Conquin, (1679 - 1741), daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 20th April 1705 6
  • Alexis Matte, (1692) son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Marie-Françoise Carpentier, (1702 - 1780), daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Françoise, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 17th February 1721 6
  • Nicolas Matte, (1707 - 1772), son of Laurent and Françoise, who married Rose Gaudin, (1719 - 1791), daughter of Alexis and Madeleine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 24th November 1727 6
  • Laurent Matte, son of Laurent and Françoise, who married Élisabeth Richard, daughter of Louis and Marie-Thérèse-Pérette, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 14th February 1729 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Matte (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Roland "Tom" Matte (1939-2021), American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) in the 1960s and 1970s
  • Joseph Z. Matte, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Jean-Paul Matte, Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons
  • Lucien Matte (1907-1975), Canadian Jesuit priest and educator
  • Kristian Matte (b. 1985), professional Canadian football offensive linemen
  • René Matte (b. 1935), Canadian politician and a Member of the House of Commons
  • Roland Joseph Matte (1909-1988), Canadian professional ice hockey player
  • Joseph Alexandre Matte (1893-1961), Canadian professional ice hockey player


The Matte 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.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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