E. De Stefani proposes a Germanic origin for this surname, linking it to the given name Matteo, from the Latin Matthaeus, itself from the Hebrew mattathai, with the meaning "gift of God". The ending -i(t)z or -itsch suggests that its fixing as a surname took place in Slavic contexts. De Stefani documents it for centuries at Timau, a locality of Carnia —the mountainous area of northern Friuli, in the province of Udine—, with a presence also at Paularo and Sutrio. In the Austrian sphere, he notes cores at Dornbirn and Neumarkt (Styria), as well as the variant Matitz in Carinthia, especially at Kötschach-Mauthen, Ebenthal and Klagenfurt, where the form Mattitsch also appears.

E. Rossoni, by contrast, considers it very rare and typical of the Paluzza area, likewise in the province of Udine, and proposes as etymon the Late Latin name Matthias, without referring to Slavic or Germanic influence.