Mattson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Matt,” with Matt as a short form of Matthew.
The #2,247 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,055 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mattson is a patronymic surname built from the pet form Matt and the English suffix -son, meaning “son of.” The name Matt is itself a short form of Matthew, from the biblical name meaning “gift of God.” In older records the same family of names appears in forms such as Matson, Matts, and Mattison.
History
The surname is well attested in England by the late medieval and early modern period, with examples in Yorkshire and Lancashire records. It also appears in later British lists of family names and spelling variants, reflecting the natural instability of surnames before standard spelling. In North America, Mattson became especially familiar through Scandinavian immigration, where it could also overlap with similar Swedish and Norwegian patronymic forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Mattson was formed in the everyday patronymic style, it is one of those surnames that literally reads like a family description rather than a fixed clan name.
From the historical record
“MATTS, Matt's (Son) 1^ „.^ MATTSON, Matt's Son / '"^"■ MAUD \ dims, of Matilda: v. under MAUDE J Malkin ante. MAUDESLEY% MAUDSLAY [v. Mawd(e)sley. MAUDSLEY >”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)