17,602 Global MATHIAS Family Members

MATHIAS Family History

This interesting name derives from the early medieval English given name "Mathew", which is ultimately from the Hebrew male given name "Matityahu", "Gift of God". The personal name is recorded in the Greek New Testament as "Matt(a)ias", later adopted into Latin as "Matthias" and "Matthaeus"; the former name was used for the apostle and the latter for the evangelist, although in most languages the two forms have come together again. The Normans were mainly responsible for introducing the personal name into England as "Mathieu" and "Mahieu"; the Domesday Book of 1086 records the given name as "Mathiu" and "Matheus". The popularity of the name ensured a variety of surnames, ranging from Mat(t)hew(s) to the learned forms Mathias and Matthias, often found in Wales...