Matz
A surname with several possible roots, most often explained as a short form of Matthias or as a nickname-based German name.
The #6,587 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,032 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Matz is usually treated as a short form or pet form of a longer personal name, especially Matthias, which comes from Hebrew and means "gift of God." Some 19th-century surname scholars also suggested that in certain cases it could be linked to other Germanic naming patterns rather than one single source. Because the evidence is mixed, Matz is best understood as a surname with more than one possible origin depending on the family line.
History
The surname appears in German-speaking areas and also in Jewish families, where short forms of Hebrew biblical names were widely used. Over time it spread beyond central Europe through migration, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. English-language records often preserve the simplified spelling Matz even where related forms like Matzke or Matzat also occur.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers sometimes grouped Matz with a larger cluster of similar names and debated whether it belonged with Matthias-derived forms or with other Germanic nickname patterns.
From the historical record
“Zerdehnt: Tiegea; Tiega — Tig- ges (Tiggemann), Matz a) I. 8. Math b) H. » Matthäus. Maad s. Mod. MAVB L wohl Maoros „ein Maure ^^ FN. (Morbrand): Mokrbrand.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen