Surname Mattsson - Meaning and Origin
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Mattsson: What does the surname Mattsson mean?
The surname Mattsson is derived from the Swedish word matt which means “meadow” and child or son. The surname thus suggests the person came from a location with a meadow in its name. It is most commonly found in Sweden but also has variants such as the Norwegian Mathisen.
Throughout history, people have been known to take on surnames to identify their family, their origin, and often their profession. The surname Mattsson has been associated with people that worked as farmers, gardeners, and foresters.
For centuries the surname Mattsson has been used as a means of identity and has grown from its simple origins, to include surnames such as “mattson”, “matheson”, and “mattola”. The surname also evolved to include specific family lines when it was used to distinguish between siblings of the same given name in the late 1700’s.
The Mattsson surname does not only appear in Sweden but has also been found in various other countries across Europe. For example, there is a large number of people with this surname in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the United States.
In addition to being a surname, the name Mattsson has also been used as a forename and as a business name. In the business world, it can be seen as an abbreviation of Matthew and Sons.
In conclusion, the surname Mattsson has an ancient origin which has made its way across Europe and even to other countries around the world. It began as an identity tool used by families and has grown to include various other uses in different parts of the world.
Order DNA origin analysisMattsson: Where does the name Mattsson come from?
The last name Mattsson is most common today in Sweden, where it is the 26th most common name. The Mattsson surname is believed to have originally been a patronymic, derived from the first name Mathias or Matti. This first name is a combination of the Hebrew name Matityahu and the Greek name Matthias, both meaning “gift of God.” The surname likely emerged in the Swedish countryside during the late medieval period.
The surname spread quickly across Sweden, and over the centuries it was increasingly adopted by non-aristocrats, including farmers and townsfolk. Immigrants from Sweden also carried the name to other lands like Norway and Finland, and the surname is still quite common in these locations today.
In more recent history, immigrants from Sweden have created large diasporas in countries all over the world, particularly the United States. As a result, the name Mattsson is found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Uruguay. It is also quite popular in northern Europe and the United Kingdom.
Overall, the last name Mattsson is undeniably still a very common name in Sweden, and it continues to be found in various other countries around the world due to the large Swedish diasporas who have spread the name, making it a global family name for those of Swedish descent.
Variations of the surname Mattsson
The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Mattsson are as follows.
Mattson, Mattsen, Matsen, Matson, Mathson, Matheson, Matthiesen, Mattheson, Madsen, Madson, Mathiesen, and Matthiessen.
Mattson was originally derived from the given name Matheus, which is an old Norwegian variant of the biblical given name Matthew. Matheus itself was derived from the Hebrew name Mattityahu meaning “gift of God.” The -son suffix was added to denote that the bearer of the name was the son of someone named Matheus.
Mattsen, Matsen, Matson, Mathson, Matheson, Matthiesen, Mattheson, Madsen, Madson, Mathiesen, and Matthiessen are variants of Mattson, some of which might have been adopted due to personal preference or due to the phonological or orthographic characteristics of the language in which a name is heard or written.
The spelling gradually changed from Mattheuson to Mattson and other variants because new language developments like the gradual increase in the use of family names, the use of the -sen suffix to represent lineage, and the introduction of vowels to soften the pronunciation of odd sounding language combinations all contributed to the transformation of the surname.
Due to variations in spelling a wide variety of surnames can be derived from the same root name including Mattson, Mattsen, Matsen, Matson, Mathson, Matheson, Matthiesen, Mattheson, Madsen, Madson, Mathiesen, and Matthiessen.
Famous people with the name Mattsson
- Ann-Louise Mattsson: Swedish professional golfer who has competed on the LET Access Series since 2013.
- Emil Mattsson: Swedish professional cyclist and 2015 Swedish National Time-Trial Champion
- Rainer Mattsson: Finnish Olympic skier who competed in two events in the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics
- John Mattsson: Swedish professional ice hockey player who played two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League
- Sebastian Mattsson: Swedish composer, and double-bassist for the band Leden
- Arnold Mattsson: Swedish modern pentathlete who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics
- Leif Mattsson: Swedish film director who directed and wrote the 2006 film What No One Knows
- Magnus Mattsson: Swedish former footballer who played 20 times for the Swedish national team
- Tore Mattsson: Norwegian chess master who competed in the 2003 World Blitz Championship
- Ola Mattsson: Swedish professional footballer who plays for Akropolis IF and is the brother of Magnus Mattsson