Yet another version of the meaning of the surname of Mayo

Yet another version of the meaning of the surname of Mayo
Meaning of the surname Mayo
I had always assumed that the surname Mayo was from the town and county of that name in Ireland, but in fact, that isn't the case. There are far fewer people with the surname Mayo in Ireland than there are in other parts of the world, for example in England. The following is taken from a book written in 1882 by a man who was researching the name (unfortunately, although he mentions many Mayos by name in that book, none of ours appear there - probably because ours were too humble). The first two paragraphs talk about the distribution of the surname. It's in the third paragraph below that the author starts to talk about the possible derivation of the surname:
"Regarded as an English family name, it is most frequently met with in the south and west of this island, and few Parish registers in the counties of Hereford, Gloucester, Wilts and Dorset, can be opened without presenting us with examples. It is spelt in many ways, varying from the extended form of Mayhowe to that of Mao, and often, clipped down and reduced to May by the loss of its concluding syllable. The common supposition that the name takes its origin from the Irish town must be laid aside.
"John D'Alton, at page 159 of his "Illustrations Historic and Genealogical of King James II's Army List", commenting on the name of George Mayo, a Lieutenant in Sarsfield's Regiment of Horse, states that "this surname does not occur again in the List, nor does it appear in the roll of outlawries either of 1641 or 1671. Some 'Meaghs' and 'Moyaghs' do appear therein. The name Mayowe is in the Chancery Rolls as in Kerry in the 14th century; that of Mayhew also occurs in Irish records of about the same period; and in a roll of assessment of fines laid upon Sheriff, Mayors, Seneschals Etc. of record in the Chief Rememberrancers Office here (Dublin), is one Geoffrey Mayhoo in 1428.
"But to return to England, an early occurrence of the name, and in its extended form, is found in Glover's Roll of Arms, supposed by Sir Harris Nicholas to date from between 1245 and 1250. Herbert le Fitz Mayhewe is here mentioned and Woodward in his "History of Wales" page 415, narrates that according to the old copy of St David's annuals the Welsh slew Sir Herbert Fitz-Mahu, apparently in 1246, near the castle of Morgan Cam. The same Roll of Arms gives the clue to the origin of the name. On three occasions Mahewe is used as a Christian name; in the case of Mahewe de Lovayne (No 116), Maheu de Columbers (No 191) and Mahue de Redmain (No 218). There can be little doubt that there is here a softened form of Matthew. Bardsley in his "English Surnames" mentions two other instances, Adam fil. Maheu from the Hundreds Rolls, and Mayeu de Basingbourne from the Parliamentary Writs, and takes the same view of its origin. Lower, in his "Patronymica Britannica" page 219, under the name Matthew states that, "This baptismal name introduced here at the Conquest has not only become a surname but the parent of many others, to wit Mathew, Matthews, Matthewson, Mathie, Mathieson, Matson, Mayhew, Mayo, Matts, Matty, Maddy, Madison". Under Mayow, Mayhew, page 221, he says again "Probably one of the many modifications of Matthew".
"(Kindred names are Mayot, Maycock and Mayos - the former two being equivalent to "Little Matthew", the later to "Matthews")
"If it is to be granted that the genesis of the name has here been correctly given and that it belongs to that wide class of names derived from Christian names, it will readily be understood that many families of the same name may be looked for, which are quite distinct from each other in their origin and that a common appellation is here no indication of a common ancestry; and the reader will see that this fact, combined with the great diversity of spelling , varying from Mayhew to May, has rendered the tracing of an early pedigree no easy matter, and he is requested to pardon any short coming on this score.
"It may be well to point out the habitat of some few Mayo families. Dorset contains many persons of the name. The name is common in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, again, is well supplied with this family name. From Holmden, Northamptonshire, came Henry Maio alias Nichols of Southam, Warwickshire, whose pedigree is in the Visitation of the latter county in 1619. Another family of Mayo was formerly settled at Hadley, Middlesex. The Norfolk and Suffolk Visitations give pedigrees of Mayhew.
"This slight sketch may be sufficient to indicate some of the localities where families of Mayo are now or were formerly to be found. Wiltshire still remains, reserved to the last as particularly interesting to those who are concerned with the contents of this volume. More than one family of the name are here found. It may be remarked that in the Poulshot Register the name is written as May previous to 1635 and as May and Mayo indiscriminately between 1635-40 and as Mayo after the year last named."
So, if you managed to get through all that, it seems that the surname Mayo comes from the first name Matthew, it is a softened form of that name, possibly meaning "Little Matthew".