# Matthew (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/matthew/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,436 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,408 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 47,972 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.8% (6,486 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæθjuː/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Mathew |

## Etymology

From earlier Matheu, from Old French Mathieu, from Latin Matthaeus, from Ancient Greek Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos), from Aramaic מַתַּי (mattay). Compare Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ (mattiṯyāhū, literally “gift of the Lord”). Doublet of Mattathias.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Matthew in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 54% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 33% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 5.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Matthew in the United States.

## People named Matthew

- William Diller Matthew, American paleontologist (1871–1930)
- Scott Matthew, Australian singer-songwriter

## Similar surnames

Mathew, Mathieu, Mathai, Mateo, Matta, Matt, Matte, Matteo, Mattia, Mattei, Mattie, Matti.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.