Matthew
Matthew was the 32nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,003 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1983 (50,209). Over the last ten years it has moved down 17 places. More babies were named Matthew in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning gift of Yahweh · Hebrew
Say it MATH-yoo /ˈmæθju/
- Rank in 2025
- #32 boys, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7,003boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198350,209 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,659,655babies recorded
What does the name Matthew mean?
Matthew comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of the Lord', through Greek Matthaios and Latin Matthaeus. It is the name of the apostle and evangelist credited with the first Gospel. DMNES notes that by the late Middle Ages Matthew and Matthias were treated as separate names despite their shared origin.
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 Matthew
The usual nicknames for Matthew are Matt and Matty. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Matthew in the last five years, fewer than 1 were named Matt, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt · also for Mathias | Traditional | #3,818 | 192 |
| Matty | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Matthews go by each one.
Matthew popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5,580 since 1911, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #32 | 7,003 |
| 2020 | #30 | 8,142 |
| 2010 | #16 | 14,148 |
| 2000 | #3 | 28,580 |
| 1990 | #3 | 44,826 |
| 1980 | #6 | 37,834 |
| 1970 | #24 | 20,185 |
| 1960 | #61 | 6,925 |
| 1950 | #174 | 1,299 |
| 1940 | #198 | 664 |
| 1930 | #204 | 657 |
| 1920 | #152 | 967 |
| 1910 | #158 | 197 |
| 1900 | #162 | 130 |
| 1890 | #165 | 86 |
| 1880 | #117 | 113 |
How popular is Matthew, counting every spelling?
Matthew is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #36 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #32 for Matthew on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,238 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 7,003 | #32 | 35,910 |
| Mathew | 235 | #975 | 1,326 |
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 Matthew?
7,003 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Matthew (1.94 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Matthew 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 28. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Matthew.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Matthew?
About 1,522,300 people born in the US named Matthew are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 26 and 46. That makes Matthew mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Matthew by state
How common Matthew was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (1.8×), New Jersey (1.7×), Florida (1.6×), Delaware (1.6×), Connecticut (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Matthew: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Matthew, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Matthew · Sibling names for Matthew
Questions about the name Matthew
What does Matthew mean?
Matthew means “gift of Yahweh” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Matthew?
Matthew was the 32nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 7,003 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 2nd; the most babies were born in 1983 (50,209). Over the last ten years it has moved down 17 places. More babies were named Matthew in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Matthew a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Matthew in the US.
Where is Matthew most popular?
In 2021–2025, Matthew was most common in Alaska (7.56 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Florida.