Matt
Usually a short form of Matthew, ultimately meaning “gift of Jehovah.”
The #7,658 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,189 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Matt is generally a clipped or pet form of Matthew. The name Matthew goes back through Greek and Latin to the Hebrew name Matityahu, meaning “gift of Jehovah” or “gift of God.” In surname use, Matt could also have helped form longer family names such as Mattson and Matterson.
History
The historical dictionaries treat Matt primarily as a shortened form of Matthew rather than as a separate independent surname. In English records it appears alongside related surnames such as Matson, Mattey, and Matteson, all tied to the same given-name base. Because Matt is also a common modern first-name nickname, some later occurrences may reflect that usage as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related medieval surname, Mattson, literally means “Matt’s son.”
From the historical record
“MATSON, Mat(t)'s Son; v. Matt. MATT, a dim. of Matthew, q.v. MATTERSON = Matherson, q.v. MATTEY ^ MATTAY }■ forms of Matthew, q.v. MATTHEY j MATTHEW (A. - Lat. -Gr. -Heb.) Gift of Jehovah [Lat. Matthaus, Matthias, Gr.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)