Matisse sits next to 3 phonetic neighbors — Maurice, Mattis, and Matthias are the closest matches by sound. Most share Matisse's French-origin cluster, so the rhythm and vowel shape carry across the list.
You searched for names like
"gift of God"
"hawk"
"alder tree, from the grove"
"gift of God, gift of Yahweh"
"desired, longed for"
"guest, stranger"
"from the ash tree valley"
"queen, counsel"
"manly, strong"
"sky, heaven"
"keeper of the court"
"the greatest, most excellent"
"youthful, downy-bearded"
"from the ash tree dell"
"royal, kingly"
"supplanter, heel-follower (Jacob/James origin)"
"best purpose, superior aim"
Similar sound: These names share phonetic patterns with Matisse — similar vowel sounds, consonant clusters, or rhythm.
Shared roots: Several names on this list have Hebrew via French (Matthias) origins, giving them the same cultural heritage as Matisse.
Rhythm: Matisse is a 2-syllable name. Names with the same syllable count tend to feel interchangeable when you're narrowing your list.