Does anybody know anything about the "Matus" last name??

Question:

Does anybody know anything about the "Matus" last name??

This has been a mistery for a long time...Greatgrandfather came from Lebanon with this last name... but is there a previous ethnic background..maybe during jewish immigration to lebanon..is this last name common among the jewish?? is there a certain area in the world where this name is popular?? input would be appreciated..

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Origin Displayed: Italian

The distinguished surname Matus can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Piedmont. The most common type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, derived from the father's given name. The surname Matus came from the personal name Matteo, which is the Italian form of the English Matthew. Ultimately, the name was inIn Hebrew, and meant "gift of God." This name was adopted into Latin as both Matthias and Matthaeus. During the medieval era, the personal name Matteo became popular as people often named their children after popular saints in the hopes that the child would enjoy that saint's patronage in later life.

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mattei, Mattedi, Matteini, Matteis, Matteo, Matteolli, Matteoni, Matteotti, Matteucci, Matteuzzi, Mattussi, Mattuzzi, Mattouzzi, Mattevi, Mattia, Mattiassi, Mattiato, Mattiazzi, Mattiello, Mattioni, Mattiuzzi, Mattissi, Mattucci, Matussi and many more.