Mathewson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Mathew,” with Mathew ultimately coming from Matthew.
The #9,813 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,588 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mathewson is an English patronymic surname formed from the personal name Mathew plus the suffix -son, meaning “son of.” The personal name Mathew is a medieval form of Matthew, from Hebrew Mattityahu, “gift of God.” In plain terms, the surname originally identified someone as the son of a man named Mathew or Matthew.
History
The name is one of several English surname forms built from the popular medieval forename Matthew, alongside Matthews, Matheson, Mathieson, and Mathison. The excerpts show it in use in medieval and later English records, and Bardsley treats it as part of the broad family of Mat- surnames. It is relatively uncommon in the modern United States compared with better-known Matthew-based surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley groups Mathewson with a whole cluster of related “Matt-” surnames that all grew from the same popular given name.
From the historical record
“Ricardus fiL Mathei, 1379 : ibid. p. 184. i«Q. Married — Robert Mathewson and Joane Goringe: St. Thomas the Apostle (London), p. 3. London, 8, 39, 4i 5. 143. h «•”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)