Matheson (surname) as the Gaelic "mathghamhuin" means "bear". Another Gaelic surname Anglicised "Matheson" is "Mac Matha". This Gaelic surname is derived from the patronymic form of a Gaelic form of "Matthew" (for example, the modern Scottish Gaelic "Mata" and "Matha" are cognates of the English "Matthew"). Matheson (surname) Matheson is a surname derived from the patronymic form of a short form of the English "Matthew". This English personal name is ultimately derived from the Hebrew "Mattathia", which means "gift of God". An early record form of the surname "Matheson" is "Mathyson", recorded in 1392; this recorded name literally means "son of "Mathi""—"Mathi"
Mac and Mc together in print two publications on filing rules, one covering that "word-by-word" convention, and another prepared in 1980 that is "letter-by-letter". A 1998 book attributes the changes to the rules to computer informatics, and notes the Mac/Mc change as its first example. 1982's "Scottish Roots", a guide for family history researchers, warns that older Scottish records do not in fact follow this convention, unlike contemporary telephone directories. A 2001 book of "New York Times" theatre reviews sorts Mc names as if spelled Mac. A 2002 official document for the State of Vermont recommends explicitly no special treatment for Mac and Mc.