Meaning & History
The meaning and origin of the first element is rather uncertain: we know that it comes from mâtha but we don't exactly know where mâtha itself comes from. It is probably derived from Gallic matu "good" or from Anglo-Saxon maedh "honour, respect." It might also be a blend of one of the aforementioned elements with mahti "power" or Gothic mathl "meeting place." The second element in this Germanic name is derived from rîcja "powerful, strong, mighty." The second element is also closely related to Celtic rîg or rix and Gothic reiks, which all mean "king, ruler."