Mattson

Mattson is a surname of Nordic origin that functions as a patronymic meaning “son of Matt,” with Matt being a short form of Matthew. The name and its variants have spread widely through migration and cultural exchange, and it appears in several spellings.

Common variants include Mattsson or Mattson (as used in Sweden and Norway), Matson, and Matsson. In English-speaking countries, spellings such as Mattson and Matson are widespread, with occasional further simplification or alteration during immigration and assimilation.

Geographically, Mattson and its variants are most commonly found in Nordic countries—especially Sweden, Norway, and Finland—and in communities with Nordic ancestry elsewhere, notably in the United States and Canada. The distribution reflects historic patronymic naming practices and later standardization of surnames.

Notable people with the surname span diverse fields such as politics, sports, science, and the arts, reflecting the name’s broad presence across communities. The surname also appears in fiction and in the names of places or institutions, typically as a reflection of family names rather than a single heritage marker.

See also: Matson, Mattsson, and related disambiguation references for other uses and variants of the name.