Mateo
Mateo was the 8th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11,045 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 2024 (11,349). Over the last ten years it has moved up 77 places. More babies were named Mateo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'gift of Yahweh' (via Matthew) · Hebrew
Say it muh-TAY-oh /məˈteɪoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #8 boys, up 12 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11,045boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202411,349 babies
- Total since 1880
- 126,778babies recorded
What does the name Mateo mean?
Mateo is the Spanish (and Croatian) form of Matthew. It goes back through Latin Matthaeus and Greek Matthaios to the Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of Yahweh'. Matthew the apostle and evangelist made it a Christian name.
מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Biblical Hebrew, “Mattityahu, 'gift of the Lord'”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean gift.
Nicknames for Mateo
The usual nicknames for Mateo are Teo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Mateo in the last five years, 3 were named Teo, against 3 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teo · also for Matheo | Modern | #794 | 1,356 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Mateos go by each one.
Mateo popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 85 since 2013, 12 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8 | 11,045 |
| 2020 | #20 | 9,007 |
| 2010 | #222 | 1,624 |
| 2000 | #428 | 572 |
| 1990 | #1,525 | 56 |
| 1980 | #2,335 | 22 |
| 1970 | #2,102 | 19 |
| 1960 | #2,277 | 14 |
| 1950 | #2,082 | 14 |
| 1940 | #2,151 | 12 |
| 1930 | #1,793 | 18 |
| 1920 | #1,533 | 25 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Mateo, counting every spelling?
Mateo is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #5 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8 for Mateo on its own. Together these spellings went to 13,500 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mateo | 11,045 | #8 | 53,265 |
| Matteo | 2,455 | #146 | 11,965 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mateo?
11,045 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mateo (3.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Mateo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 18. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.3 children named Mateo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mateo?
About 125,200 people born in the US named Mateo are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 3 and 11. That makes Mateo a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mateo by state
How common Mateo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.5×), Nevada (2.3×), Arizona (2.0×), California (2.0×), Texas (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Vermont, West Virginia, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mateo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mateo, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mateo · Sibling names for Mateo
Questions about the name Mateo
What does Mateo mean?
Mateo means “'gift of Yahweh' (via Matthew)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Mateo?
Mateo was the 8th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11,045 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 2024 (11,349). Over the last ten years it has moved up 77 places. More babies were named Mateo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Mateo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Mateo in the US.
Where is Mateo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mateo was most common in New Mexico (15.27 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nevada and Arizona.