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Matt

boy name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
1
Peak era
1960s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Matt and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

nickname for Matthew, gift of God

The story

Matt is a short form of Matthew, and Behind the Name lists its famous bearers, the actors Matt Dillon and Matt Damon; Matthew behind it carries the receipted "gift of God". Matt also has its own line in the published American record, entered as a first name in its own right: about 260 boys in the 1890s, a few hundred a decade for half a century, about 3,500 in the 1950s, about 8,200 in the 1960s, and about 230 so far this decade. What that line measures is exactly what it says: babies whose recorded first name was Matt, no more and no less. A one-syllable entry in the books, with the full formal name and its gift standing right behind it.

More names with stories →

The formal names behind Matt

Matt is an established short form of this name.

Matthew · Hebrew origin · gift of God

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

Matt across languages

One shared root links 9 names across 6 languages.

Shared root: from Hebrew Mattityahu "gift of Yahweh", via Greek Matthaios

The constellation

MattEnglish · short formMatthewEnglishMateoSpanishMatteoItalianMateusPortuguese

More branches

MathewEnglish · variantMatthiasGreek · variantMathiasScandinavian · variantMatiasPortuguese · related form

Ways to honor Matthew →

How popular is Matt around the world?

In the United States, 229 babies were named Matt between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Matt in 2017.

Matt is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Ireland, France, Canada, Chile, England and Wales, Mexico City, Spain and Argentina.

United States

1 in 95,000

In the United States, 229 babies were named Matt between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1960s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Matt peaked in the 1960s.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

South Australia

1 in 9,200 · 2017

In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Matt in 2017.

1960peak 19882017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Ireland

1 in 14,000

In Ireland, 4 boys named Matt were born in 2025, the 676th most common name among boys that year.

1990peak 20122025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

See the full list for Ireland →

France

1 in 21,000

In France, about 30 boys named Matt were born in 2025, ranked 1,107th among boys that year.

1970peak 20072025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

See the full list for France →

Canada

1 in 22,000

In Canada, 17 boys named Matt were born in 2024, ranked 1,331st among boys that year.

1991peak 20112024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Chile

1 in 59,000

In Chile, 3 boys were registered as Matt in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

England and Wales

1 in 98,000

In England and Wales, 6 boys named Matt were born in 2025, ranked 3,256th among boys that year.

peak 19982025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Mexico City City

1 in 120,000

In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Matt in 2022.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

See the full list for Mexico City →

Spain

1 in 250,000

In Spain, 183 residents are named Matt, ranked 4,989th among men, with a mean age of 8.4 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

See the full list for Spain →

Argentina

1 in 330,000

In Argentina, 2 newborns were given the name Matt in 2024.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

See the full list for Argentina →

Austria

last on record 2019

Matt is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

See the full list for Austria →

Montevideo City

last on record 2007

Matt is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

New Zealand

last on record 2004

Matt is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1980peak 19952025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Poland

last on record 2021

Matt is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

Scotland

last on record 2013

Matt is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.

1990peak 20012024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.

Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Matt

People given the name Matt in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1960 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Matt

Jessie Eli Joey Toby Jimmy Isa

Keep exploring

Short names

Name trails: explore connections from Matt →

The Matt deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Matt truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Matt fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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