Matthew Name Meaning

The quintessential boy next door name of the United States, Matthew is a friendly moniker with endless potential. The name has been a chart darling since the 1960s, a heaven-sent gift of a name for parents, rightfully so, given his meaning. From the ancient Hebrew Mattityahu, Matthew means “gift of God.” Any parent regardless of faith can agree that a little one is certainly a gift.

Like David and Michael, Matthew has strong biblical ties, appearing as one of the twelve apostles and penning the first gospel of the New Testament. Despite this appearance in ancient texts he remains much more wearable in the modern world than names like Ezekiel and Hezekiah. He also remains a fresh choice for parents, not dated at all despite his years of heavy usage. Like a stylish suit, Matthew is never out of style.

Matthew has the beloved nickname of Matt, just as classic as the short and sweet Jake and Mike. He’s strong and versatile yet soft and sweet, managing to bend and flex wherever life may take him. He’s truly a one-size-fits-all name, wearing well throughout the ages.

The name can also be spelled as Mathew and spunky variants include Matthias, Matteo, and Mathis.

Infographic of Matthew name meaning, which is A biblical classic of Hebrew origin, Matthew means gift of God.
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Matthew Name Popularity

How popular is the name Matthew? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 152 168 0.0477%
1911 154 176 0.0473%
1912 154 357 0.0708%
1913 149 457 0.0806%
1914 152 576 0.0827%
1915 151 757 0.0833%
1916 150 792 0.082%
1917 150 827 0.0827%
1918 148 931 0.0867%
1919 152 848 0.081%
1920 154 940 0.0845%
1921 162 881 0.0769%
1922 156 967 0.0868%
1923 161 915 0.0817%
1924 173 805 0.0693%
1925 174 822 0.0727%
1926 188 741 0.0674%
1927 181 768 0.0694%
1928 184 742 0.0693%
1929 187 701 0.0677%
1930 204 626 0.0599%
1931 209 568 0.0575%
1932 186 678 0.0686%
1933 203 538 0.0577%
1934 202 575 0.0595%
1935 197 616 0.0634%
1936 205 558 0.0579%
1937 199 575 0.0584%
1938 204 572 0.0559%
1939 201 579 0.0569%
1940 198 642 0.0604%
1941 196 696 0.0618%
1942 192 801 0.0634%
1943 197 797 0.0611%
1944 196 731 0.059%
1945 199 690 0.0566%
1946 195 866 0.0587%
1947 196 1,016 0.0609%
1948 190 1,016 0.0636%
1949 175 1,201 0.0747%
1950 174 1,279 0.0794%
1951 164 1,574 0.0928%
1952 142 2,021 0.1158%
1953 130 2,370 0.1339%
1954 124 2,678 0.1465%
1955 104 3,278 0.1782%
1956 90 4,354 0.2305%
1957 83 5,223 0.2714%
1958 60 6,373 0.3372%
1959 63 6,558 0.3452%
1960 60 6,930 0.3658%
1961 59 7,075 0.3747%
1962 56 7,289 0.397%
1963 50 8,034 0.4476%
1964 43 8,983 0.5103%
1965 36 9,991 0.611%
1966 34 10,807 0.6922%
1967 28 13,580 0.8949%
1968 24 15,839 1.0548%
1969 24 17,472 1.1341%
1970 24 20,201 1.2694%
1971 19 22,560 1.5013%
1972 10 22,947 1.6848%
1973 10 24,548 1.8935%
1974 9 27,224 2.0946%
1975 9 28,552 2.2219%
1976 9 29,982 2.3263%
1977 9 31,974 2.3721%
1978 6 34,312 2.5521%
1979 6 35,659 2.529%
1980 6 37,860 2.5894%
1981 3 43,330 2.9477%
1982 3 46,060 3.0823%
1983 3 50,214 3.4028%
1984 3 49,775 3.346%
1985 3 47,073 3.1013%
1986 3 46,923 3.1086%
1987 3 46,481 3.0459%
1988 3 45,868 2.9434%
1989 3 45,371 2.8116%
1990 3 44,800 2.7029%
1991 3 41,636 2.5544%
1992 3 37,736 2.3642%
1993 3 35,769 2.2943%
1994 3 33,646 2.1924%
1995 2 32,876 2.1814%
1996 2 32,073 2.1421%
1997 3 31,513 2.1307%
1998 3 31,142 2.0807%
1999 3 30,415 2.031%
2000 3 28,572 1.8704%
2001 3 26,806 1.7791%
2002 4 25,151 1.6783%
2003 4 23,996 1.5773%
2004 4 22,873 1.5007%
2005 4 21,467 1.404%
2006 5 20,331 1.2984%
2007 9 18,734 1.1874%
2008 10 17,579 1.1374%
2009 13 15,984 1.0694%
2010 16 14,126 0.9802%
2011 12 14,159 0.9938%
2012 12 13,964 0.9799%
2013 15 13,329 0.9362%
2014 16 12,898 0.8853%
2015 15 12,737 0.8754%
2016 15 12,605 0.8742%
2017 16 11,611 0.8319%
2018 20 9,924 0.7223%
2019 23 9,199 0.6795%
2020 29 7,965 0.6258%
2021 36 7,420 0.607%
2022 39 6,943 0.5263%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Matthew

If you like Matthew, you’ll love these other names like Matthew.


What names are diminutives of Matthew?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Matthew sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Matthew, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Mat

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mata

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mathe

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mats

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matt

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattie

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matty

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matz

Gift of God

Hebrew


What names are variants of Matthew?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Matthew.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Madteo

Gift of God

Hebrew

Madteos

Gift of God

Hebrew

Madtheos

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mateo

Gift of God

Spanish

Mateus

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mateusz

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matheu

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mathew

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mathian

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mathias

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mathieu

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matias

Gift of God

Portuguese

Matico

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattaeus

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattaus

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matteo

Gift of God

Italian

Matthaus

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattheus

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matthias

Gift of God

Welsh

Matthieu

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matthiew

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattias

Gift of God

Hebrew

Mattieu

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matvey

Gift of God

Hebrew

Matyas

Gift of God

Hebrew


What names sound like Matthew?

If you like how Matthew sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Matthew.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Mather

Powerful army

English

Mathers

Son of Mather

English

Matherson

Son of Mather

English

Matheson

Bear's son

Scottish


What names are similar to Matthew?

Find a name that’s like Matthew, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Daniel

God is My Judge

Hebrew

David

Beloved

Hebrew

Isaiah

God is salvation

Hebrew

Joseph

Jehovah will increase

Hebrew

Lucas

From Lucania

Latin

Michael

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Nathan

He gave

Hebrew

Noah

To rest

Hebrew

Samuel

Name of God

Hebrew

William

A willing protector

German


Lists With Matthew

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Matthew.


Siblings of Matthew

Mamas with kids named Matthew also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Robert

Bright fame

German

Philip

Horse lover

Greek

Stephen

Crown

English

Maria

Of the sea

Latin

Martin

Of Mars

Latin

Luke

From Lucania

Greek

Destiny

Determined fate

English

Liam

Helmet of will

Irish

Ryan

Little king

Irish

John

God is gracious

Hebrew

Bethany

House of figs

Hebrew

Melanie

Black

Greek

Leonardo

Brave lion

Italian

Christopher

Bearing Christ

English

34 Comments

  1. I was never allowed to pick his name. Because the name is biblical, his father picked it https://candyclicker.io

  2. We like that Matthew means gift from God.

  3. My son chose his name after he was born. We had a list of names that we came together on but my husband did not want a Junior.
    I love my “Matt’s”! I call Daddy Matt and my son is Matthew to differentiate the 2.
    I love that it means gift from God! I had to go through IVF to conceive my children because I lost the ability to have children on my own. When I got pregnant on the 1st round with the 1st egg it was amazing!

  4. I chose the name because it means “gift from God.” I have had 9 miscarriages. So my baby really is a gift from God.

  5. I love all the variations of the name Matthew.
    #Matteo #Matthias #Matty #Matt #Mac #Hugh #Theo
    I’m bilingual and so it translates well and that is a bonus for my family.

  6. it’s my dads name but I like it

  7. Matthew means gift from God. When I was expecting Matthew I was going thru a rough time. When I came across the name and found the meaning to it that name felt perfect.

  8. It’s my husband name! We picked Matthew Jr after his daddy

  9. Matthew means gift from God. We were surprised but blessed to find out I was pregnant with him the day after a dear friend went to be with the Lord. He also was born at home normally, my 2VBAC baby at 10 pounds 14 ounces! So his birth experience was a gift from God too!

  10. I would have never really imagined naming my child Matthew. My husbands name is Matthew Alan Town, and he felt strongly about having a Junior. I wanted to honor that, (but not going to lie…) I was a little bummed he wouldn’t have his own name. We were also getting a lot of negative feedback for wanting to name him after his dad, which by the way no one should ever do, because it’s not kind.

    But when our little one arrived, I realized how powerful and honorary this name was and felt so emotional about naming him after his dad. So now I have my main man Matthew and my little Jr. and it couldn’t be more beautiful and perfect.

  11. Me and his picked it
    I love his name I just don’t like it’s his dads best friends middle name which I didn’t know until he was born
    Matthew is 11 months old and he is my best friend he has been crawling and now he’s trying to walk Matthew is a twin but his twin is in heaven

    • i am so sorry for your loss

  12. I chose this name due to the biblical meaning & also to honor his father by naming him after him. I’ve always loved the name Matthew.

  13. I chose the name Matthew, because it means “gift from God”. I love the fact that it has a biblical meaning and besides, my son is a gift from God???

  14. I never got to choose his name. His dad chose the name as it’s a biblical name.

  15. Matthew is a family name of my fianc?. It’s a strong name

  16. Because it is a name from the bible and I love its meaning “Gift Of God”

  17. I prayed if I was supposed to have another baby and all i heard that night was Matthew Ofer and over again

  18. Love him so much

  19. I chose the Matthew because it’s a biblical name. Also because it means Gift of God. My husband and I tried for 8 yrs to get pregnant. Then I went to a Fertility doctor when I was 35. So considering I wasn’t supposed to have any children, I think the name is fitting. I like the fact that it’s an old , more ordinary name. Not like most name now days.

  20. Meaning is God’s gift and he truly is

  21. I chose the name Matthew bc my daugther picked his name and his middle name wayne is named after his great grandpa afled my step moms dad and his last name is were I got married to his dad Shane artley there is my baby story

  22. We tried several names out loud and looked up the meanings when I said Matthew out loud he did a kick dance inside my belly and it was meant to be. His name is biblical also

  23. I chose the name Matthew James because it is his fathers name.i think having a Jr is very honorable. His nickname is MJ so we can tell them apart.

  24. Daddy chose the name from the Bible

  25. My husband picked it out after Matthew in the bible

  26. My husband and I couldn’t agree on a baby boy name. Throughout my pregnancy my grandma would always
    say name him “Matthew Lucas“. I would always tell her “No”. My grandma passed 15 days before I had my baby. I went to the hospital still without a name and undecided. 2 hours before leaving the hospital we finally agreed on “Matthew”.

  27. He is a precious gift from God

  28. In Hebrew, Matthew means Gift from Yahweh. At 45 years old, Matthew was definitely our gift from Yahweh. After miscarriages and illness over the years, we were thankful for our two sons (now ages 22 and 15) and were not expecting this very sweet surprise. Not only has my health been restored, so has our youth, for Matthew keeps us young.

  29. Me and hubby both liked the name Matthew. We liked that we can call the baby Matt or Mattie for short. We couldn’t agree on baby names but there was 2 names we both liked- Kevin and a Matthew. We chose Matthew bc my brother’s name is Kevin and we wanted baby to have own name and not someone else in family.

  30. Me and my boyfriend have been together for 8 years. We’ve both experienced lost and gains in our relationship. My boyfriends name is Matthew, Jr. We decided to name our baby after to him. Originally we wanted to name him Milan, but we decided to pass down the legacy but let him make his own name. It will be his decision to continue to build on that name and pass it on to his son. No one will be made. However right now Matthew, III is a very active and healthy little boy who just wants to be loved by mommy and daddy and we don’t hesitate or think twice about showing it.

  31. Matthew is a biblical name and means mighty. feel in love it right away

  32. I chose this name for my son because it was his late Uncle’s name. Matthew (my brother) saved lives on the campus of Virginia Tech when a gunman opened fire, killing 32 people in April of 2007. Eyewitness accounts confirmed that he used his body to tackle the shooter in an attempt to stop him. Although Matthew ultimately lost his life that day, he saved others by giving them time to escape and take cover. My son was named after a hero, and every time I say his name, my brother’s memory is honored. There was no better name to give him than the name of someone whom I love, who inspires me, and who is remembered and carried in my heart each day.

  33. Matthew is a wonderful name of an Apostle. Because it is so popular, I suggest having a short and/or unique middle name to distinguish your son from others. For example, Matthew John.


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