Matthew
Meaning
gift of God
Goes by Matt, Matty
Famously borne by Matthew Henson, the Arctic explorer on the disputed 1909 dash for the North Pole, credited to Peary alone for decades. Famously borne by Matthew Ridgway, the general who rebuilt a beaten army in Korea in a matter of weeks.
The story
Matthew is the Hebrew Mattityahu, gift of God, carried by the apostle remembered as the tax collector who left his booth to follow Jesus, and whose gospel opens the New Testament. English speakers have used it since the Middle Ages, and it never left the American records, keeping a quiet, steady presence through the first half of the twentieth century. Its great moment came later. From the 1960s the line climbs steeply, and through the 1980s and 1990s Matthew ranked among the very top boys' names in the country, part of the great return to biblical classics that also lifted Michael, David, and Daniel. The wave has eased since, but only gently: Matthew still sits comfortably in the mainstream, familiar to every generation now alive. Few names manage to feel both traditional and current at once; this one has made a specialty of it.
Matthew around the world
One shared root links 8 names across 5 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Mattityahu "gift of Yahweh", via Greek Matthaios
The constellation
More branches
On record since at least the 13th century: Matthew Paris, English chronicler.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Matthew peaked in the 1980s and the 1990s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
256 people · the #21,318 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 17
Among people named Matthew living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 57 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Matthew
Most people given the name Matthew in the United States were born between 1970 and 2009. The Matthew you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Matthew deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Matthew 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 Matthew fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Matthew travels
Korean American · gift of God (the Gospel author; a common church name for Korean American sons)
Keep exploring
Names like Matthew · Nicknames for Matthew · Korean American baby names · Filipino American baby names · Names of generals and commanders
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