Matte Family History

South German: topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow, from Middle High German matte ‘meadow’. Dutch (van der Matt(e)): topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, or habitational name from any of various places named Made or Maete, from Middle Dutch matte, matta ‘meadow’. Southern French: possibly a habitational name from the common demesne name La Matte, La Mathe, derived from Occitan mata ‘bush’, ‘shrub’, ‘thicket’, ‘brush’. Compare Mata 1.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press