# Matthew (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/matthew/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “gift of the lord” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæθjuː/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Mat, Matt, Matty |
| Variant spellings | Mathew |
| US babies named this | 1,659,655 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,654,075 / 5,580 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 81,284, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From earlier Matheu, from Old French Mathieu, from Latin Matthaeus, from Ancient Greek Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos), from Aramaic מַתַּי (mattay). Compare Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ (mattiṯyāhū, literally “gift of the Lord”). Doublet of Mattathias.

## What it means

Matthew is grouped under gift and god.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 6,073 |
| 2012 | 21 | 6,263 |
| 2013 | 17 | 7,271 |
| 2014 | 15 | 7,938 |
| 2015 | 15 | 7,865 |
| 2016 | 12 | 9,236 |
| 2017 | 13 | 8,610 |
| 2018 | 10 | 10,303 |
| 2019 | 15 | 7,588 |
| 2020 | 7 | 13,010 |
| 2021 | 10 | 10,053 |
| 2022 | 9 | 10,925 |
| 2023 | 6 | 14,560 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,781 |
| 2025 | 5 | 16,434 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14,184 | 12 |
| 2012 | 13,993 | 12 |
| 2013 | 13,364 | 15 |
| 2014 | 12,944 | 16 |
| 2015 | 12,785 | 15 |
| 2016 | 12,665 | 15 |
| 2017 | 11,732 | 16 |
| 2018 | 10,009 | 20 |
| 2019 | 9,277 | 23 |
| 2020 | 8,142 | 30 |
| 2021 | 7,489 | 36 |
| 2022 | 7,077 | 39 |
| 2023 | 7,234 | 32 |
| 2024 | 7,107 | 33 |
| 2025 | 7,003 | 32 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,743 | 43 |
| 2012 | 1,518 | 47 |
| 2013 | 1,319 | 47 |
| 2014 | 1,216 | 49 |
| 2015 | 1,279 | 47 |
| 2016 | 1,110 | 53 |
| 2017 | 948 | 67 |
| 2018 | 757 | 82 |
| 2019 | 633 | 99 |
| 2020 | 492 | 114 |
| 2021 | 472 | 123 |
| 2022 | 469 | 118 |
| 2023 | 394 | 137 |
| 2024 | 355 | 149 |
| 2025 | 353 | 153 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: مَتَّى, مَاثْيُو
- Armenian: Մաթևոս
- Bulgarian: Мате́й, Ма́тю
- Catalan: Mateu
- Chinese: 馬修 /马修
- Czech: Matěj, Matyáš, Matouš
- Danish: Mathias, Mads
- Dutch: Matthijs, Thijs, Matteüs
- Esperanto: Mateo
- Estonian: Madis, Mati
- Finnish: Matti, Matias
- French: Matthieu, Mathieu
- Georgian: მათე
- German: Matthias, Matthäus
- Greek: Ματθαίος, Μάθιου
- Hebrew: מַתִּתְיָהוּ, מַתִּי
- Hindi: मैथ्यू
- Hungarian: Máté, Mátyás
- Icelandic: Matthías
- Indonesian: Matius

## People named Matthew

- Matthew McConaughey, American actor (born 1969)
- Matthew Perry, American-Canadian actor (1969–2023)
- Matthew Arnold, British poet and cultural critic (1822–1888)
- Matthew Broderick, American actor (born 1962)
- Matthew Fox, American actor (born 1966)
- Matthew Lillard, American actor (born 1970)
- Matthew Flinders, English navigator and cartographer (1774-1814)
- Matthew Spiranovic, Australian association football player
- Matthew Upson, English association football player (born 1979)
- Matthew Gray Gubler, American actor, filmmaker and model (born 1980)
- Matthew Bingley, Australian association football player
- Matthew Gregory Lewis, English novelist and dramatist (1775–1818)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.