Heraldry and the Mattis Surname

Seen on a birth certificate or a ship's manifest, Mattis is usually a form of Matías. The family name meaning is “from the name Matías”, the same as for Matías.

Mattis coat of arms

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Matías surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

How the spelling arose

Before spelling was fixed, Matías was also written Mattis. Other spellings include Mattias, Matti and Mattia.

The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists Mattis with 2,744 bearers, at rank 11,472. It sits among the 25,000 most common last names in the country. Similar-sounding surnames on Herald Lab: Mattos. Want more than a summary? See the Mattis family name pack.