The Matthew surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,436 people carried this name — #5,408 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,900 people counted. That is down 1% from 6,486 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Matthew surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From earlier Matheu, from Old French Mathieu, from Latin Matthaeus, from Ancient Greek Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos), from Aramaic מַתַּי (mattay).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Matthew» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Mathew’.

An early record he cites: Agnes Mathewe, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Mathew, Mathews, Mathewson, Matthew, Matthews and Matthewson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 520 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 27 people named Matthew.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Guadeloupe.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Guadeloupe 5
Nord 2
French Guiana 2
Var 1
Martinique 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Matthew was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Suffolk: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Suffolk 20
Gloucestershire 10
Cornwall 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Matthew was recorded 34 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 731st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 50. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Matthew in American newspapers,
1849–1887.

Newspaper page from The New Hampshire Gazette And Republican Union carrying the name Matthew
The New Hampshire Gazette And Republican Union 1849-09-04
Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Matthew
Helena Weekly Herald 1887-07-07
Newspaper page from New Hampshire Statesman carrying the name Matthew
New Hampshire Statesman 1849-06-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,530 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Matthew in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2010s.

93,397 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Matthew. The most, 15,832, date from the 1880s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 28,117
Victoria 27,192
South Australia 14,676
Queensland 11,466
Western Australia 6,773
Tasmania 4,270
ACT (Canberra) 447
Northern Territory 101

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Matthew.

Who carried it

People named Matthew,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Tobie Matthew
    Tobie Matthew 1577–1655 · writer
  • Patrick Matthew
    Patrick Matthew 1790–1874 · naturalist
  • Elizabeth Matthew d. 1916
  • Frances Matthew 1550–1629 · philanthropist
  • Grace Matthew 1558–1632
  • Henry Charles Matthew 1807–1808

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Matthew,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States581 records

581 records of the Matthew name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 149
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 118
  • Other U.S. records 314
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Cameron A. Matthew

    Born 1910 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Jay Governors Island; elevator operator. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1952, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Matthew

    Arrived at Philadelphia in 1850 aboard the Kalamazoo from Liverpool, aged 22; servant. From Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Cecil Leroy Matthew

    Born 1946; from Columbus, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1968 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 581 records for Matthew in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia350 records

350 records of the Matthew name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 166
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 82
  • Other Australian records 102
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Samuel Matthew

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Asia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1841. Native of Chelsea, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Matthew

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Severn, aged 31; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Richard A. Matthew

    Enlisted in 1914. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 350 records for Matthew in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Canada51 records

51 records of the Matthew name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 11
  • Other Canadian records 27
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Michael Demetri Matthew

    Buried in 1992 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 72.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Shirley Matthew

    Died 1932 in Apple River, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record John Aubrey Matthew

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 51 records for Matthew in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom32 records

32 records of the Matthew name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 16
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 10
  • Other British records 6
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Robert George Matthew

    Born 1897 at Mosstodloch; farm servant. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Matthew

    Buried in 1907 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 34.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hester Matthew

    Buried in 1850 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 52.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 32 records for Matthew in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Matthew name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Arthur Gordon Matthew

    Died 1947 in Delfzijl, aged 48; "brigadier".

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Margaret Matthew

    Married in 1747 in Rotterdam; born in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Matthew

    Married in 1718 in Rotterdam; born in Keithhall.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Matthew in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France4 records

4 records of the Matthew name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Sylvie Pierre Damien Matthew

    Born 1973 in Cayenne; died 1999 in Cayenne (Guyane).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Simon Harold Matthew

    Born 1918 in Dominique; died 1997 in Saint-Claude (Guadeloupe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Edouard Alexandre Matthew

    Born 1895 in Lille (Nord); died 1984 in Gramat (Lot).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Matthew in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Matthew name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Healey Matthew

    Died 1967, aged 79; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Matthew

    Buried in 1875 at Lyttelton Public Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 52.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Matthew in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Matthew name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Matthew

    From Altona. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 26 September 1916; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 9 March 1917 (Infantry Regiment No. 173).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Patrik Matthew

    From Bergedorf, Hamburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 11 September 1916 (Guard Reserve Regiment No. 2).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Matthew.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Matthew is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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