Family name origins & meanings
- English : patronymic from Mathew; a variant spelling of Matthews. In the U.S., this form has absorbed some European cognates such as German Matthäus.
- Among the earliest bearers of the name in North America was Samuel Mathews (c.1600–c.1657), who came to VA from London in about 1618. He established a plantation at the mouth of the Warwick River, which was at first called Mathews Manor; later its name was changed to Denbigh. He was one of the most powerful and influential men in the early affairs of the colony. He (or possibly his son, who bore the same name) was governor of the colony from 1657 until his death in 1660.