Matte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany
Wales

Etymology of Matte

What does the name Matte mean?

As with many French family names, the distinguished surname Matte is rich in ancient heritage. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The name Matte is derived from the Hebrew Biblical given name Matityahu (Matthew), meaning "gift of God."

Early Origins of the Matte family

The surname Matte was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where the family has held a family seat since early times.

The earliest member of this family was recorded under the name of Mathieu de Vendôme, who died in 1286, and was the Abbot of St. Denis, and was the Regent of France when Saint Louis was on a crusade. The family branched out into: Lyonnais, where they were known as the Mathieu of Mathieu; to Alsace where they settled at Faviers and where they were the Barons Mathieu; to île-de-France where they held a family seat at Mauvieres and were Barons of the Empire in 1810; and to Comtes when they held a family seat at Rouergue and held the title of Count de la Redorte. The Mathieu family from Bourgogne, which originated from Nivernais, goes back to the time when Pierre Mathieu was living, at the end of the fifteenth century.

Among his descendants were: Hugues, an Elect of Charollais in 1682; Christophe J. A. Mathieu de Dombasle, an agronomist from the province of Lorraine, who invented a certain type of plow; David-Maurice-Joseph Mathieu, a General who was later made a Count of the Empire in 1810; Joseph-Ignace Mathieu de Mauvières, Mayor of Saint-Forget, who was named a Baron of the Empire in 1810; and Philippe Mathieu, 1808-1865, a politician and meteorologist.

Jean Mathieu, born in 1637, son of Jean and Isabelle (née Monnachau), was a French butcher that travelled from Angoulême, France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Anne Du Tertre, born in 1654, daughter of Pierre and Louise-Anne (née Goulet), at Château-Richer on 19th November 1669. They settled together at Ange-Gardien until Anne's death on 14th April 1696. Jean passed away on 1st May 1699. 1

Early History of the Matte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Matte research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1657 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Matte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Matte Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mathieu, Mathieue, Mathieues, Mathieus, Mathieux, Mathis, Matieu, Matieue, Mathius, Matieues, Matieus, Matieux, Mathioux, Mathioue and many more.

Early Notables of the Matte family

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

Matte migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Matte Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gottlob Matte, who landed in Brazil in 1828 6
Joseph Matte, who was naturalized in Oregon in 1841

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. 7

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 7
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 7
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 7
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 7
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 7
... (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

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.