The English and Welsh surname of Mathews is from the Latin form of Mathews which was ‘matthaeus’ and the Old French spelling was ‘Mathieu’. The term referred to a gift. Spelling variations for Mathews include Matthews, Matheuson, Mathewes and Mathew. In England the Mathews surname is found in the city of London, Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Middlesex, Wiltshire and Warwickshire. In the Glamorganshire region of Wales, the Mathews surname is very popular. In Scotland the Mathews families live mostly in Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Angus, and Lanarkshire. Within the United States the Mathews surname is primarily located in Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, Missouri, Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Famous: Arthur Frank Mathews (artist), Moses Mathews (supplied the 18th century American Continental Army with guns), Kevin Mathews (songwriter from Singapore), Cornelius Mathews (19th century writer), Eddie Mathews (professional baseball player) and George Mathews (actor).