Matheson is a surname derived from the patronymic form of a short form of the English Matthew.[1] This English personal name is ultimately derived from the Hebrew Mattathia, which means "gift of God".[2] An early record form of the surname Matheson is Mathyson, recorded in 1392;[3][4] this recorded name literally means "son of Mathi"—Mathi being a pet form of Matthew.[3] Two different Scottish Gaelic surnames have been Anglicised Matheson. One such surname is Mac Mhathghamhuin (Clan Matheson), which became Anglicised Matheson on account of its similar sound.[4][5] This Gaelic surname is of an entirely different etymology than Matheson, as the Gaelic mathghamhuin means "bear".[4][5][6][note 1] Another Gaelic surname Anglicised Matheson is Mac Matha.[4] This Gaelic surname is derived from the patronymic form of a Gaelic form of Matthew[4][5][10] (for example, the modern Scottish Gaelic Mata and Matha are cognates of the English Matthew).[2]
People with the surname
- Alexander Matheson (disambiguation), multiple people
- Angus Matheson (1912–1962), inaugural Professor of Celtic at the University of Glasgow
- Arthur Matheson, Canadian politician
- Bob Matheson, National Football League player
- Charlie Matheson, fictional character in Revolution
- Chris Matheson, British politician
- Dan Matheson, Canadian television sportscaster, host & news reader
- Danny Matheson, fictional character in Revolution
- Diana Matheson, Canadian football (soccer) midfielder
- Donald Macleod Matheson CBE (1896-1979), Secretary of the National Trust, Traditionalist author
- Ewing Matheson (1840-1917), British civil engineer and consulting engineer
- George Matheson (1842-1906), Scottish theologian
- Guy Matheson (1952- ), Australian politician
- Hans Matheson, Scottish actor
- Hilda Matheson (1888-1940), first Director of Talks at the BBC
- Hugh Matheson, British oarsman
- Hugh Mackay Mateson, (1821-1898), Scottish industrialist
- James Matheson, Scottish businessman
- Jim Matheson, American politician, son of Scott M. Matheson
- John Matheson, Canadian politician
- Karen Matheson, Scottish folk musician
- Louis Matheson, British-Australian academic
- Luke Matheson (2002-), English footballer
- Mal Matheson, New Zealand cricketer
- Michael Matheson (disambiguation), multiple people
- Miki Matheson, Japanese Paralympic gold medalist
- Norma Matheson, American politician, former First Lady of Utah
- Rachel Matheson (disambiguation), fictional characters
- Richard Matheson, American writer
- Richard Christian Matheson, American writer, son of Richard Matheson
- Robert J. Matheson (1907-1956), American politician and businessman
- Robert Matheson (architect)
- Robert Matheson (entomologist)
- Robert (Bob) Matheson, National Football League player
- Roderick N. Matheson, American Civil War figure
- Scott Milne Matheson, Sr. (1897–1958), US Attorney for Utah 1949-1953
- Scott M. Matheson (Utah governor) (1929–1990), son of the above, governor of Utah 1977-1985
- Scott Matheson, Jr. (born 1953), son of the above, US Attorney for Utah from 1993–1997, currently a judge on the 10th United States Circuit Court
- Shirlee Matheson, Canadian children's writer
- Tim Matheson, American actor
- William Matheson (Gaelic scholar) (1910-1995), Scottish Gaelic scholar, and ordained minister of the Church of Scotland
- William John Matheson, American industrialist
Notes
See also
- Mathieson
- Mathison
- Matthiessen
References
- ^ Matheson Family History, Ancestry.com, retrieved 11 February 2012. This webpage cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
- ^ a b Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 188–189, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
- ^ a b Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood (ed.), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 302, ISBN 0-19-863146-4.
- ^ a b c d e Black, George Fraser (1946), The surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning, and history, New York Public Library, pp. 586–587.
- ^ a b c Mackenzie, Alexander; Macbain, Alexander (1900), History of the Mathesons with Genealogies of the various families, Eneas Mackay, p. 148.
- ^ Macbain, Alexander (1911), An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Eneas Mackay, p. 244.
- ^ Watson, Angus (2005), The essential English-Gaelic dictionary, Birlinn, p. 33, ISBN 978 1 84158106 4. See also: Mark, Colin (2003), The Gaelic-English dictionary, Routledge, p. 421, ISBN 0-203-27706-6. See also: Owen, Robert C. (1993), The modern Gaelic-English dictionary, Gairm, p. 78, ISBN 1 871901 29 4.
- ^ Mark, Colin (2003), The Gaelic-English dictionary, Routledge, p. 421, ISBN 0-203-27706-6.
- ^ Mark, Colin (2003), The Gaelic-English dictionary, Routledge, p. xii, ISBN 0-203-27706-6.
- ^ McMath Family History, Ancestry.com, retrieved 10 July 2012. This webpage cited: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.