Boy nameCurrently #33 in the USFalling
Matthew
MATH-yoo//ˈmæθjuː//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19837 lettersStarts with M
Meaning & origin
Gift of God
Matthew comes from the Hebrew meaning 'gift of God', and belongs to one of the twelve apostles, a former tax collector credited with writing the first gospel. A steady, warm classic, it has remained popular for generations.
Matthew's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Matthew |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 113 |
| 1881 | 80 |
| 1882 | 109 |
| 1883 | 86 |
| 1884 | 117 |
| 1885 | 111 |
| 1886 | 112 |
| 1887 | 108 |
| 1888 | 114 |
| 1889 | 118 |
| 1890 | 86 |
| 1891 | 113 |
| 1892 | 132 |
| 1893 | 108 |
| 1894 | 124 |
| 1895 | 112 |
| 1896 | 123 |
| 1897 | 100 |
| 1898 | 133 |
| 1899 | 101 |
| 1900 | 130 |
| 1901 | 89 |
| 1902 | 104 |
| 1903 | 102 |
| 1904 | 97 |
| 1905 | 107 |
| 1906 | 136 |
| 1907 | 124 |
| 1908 | 152 |
| 1909 | 147 |
| 1910 | 197 |
| 1911 | 225 |
| 1912 | 380 |
| 1913 | 491 |
| 1914 | 613 |
| 1915 | 798 |
| 1916 | 825 |
| 1917 | 862 |
| 1918 | 963 |
| 1919 | 879 |
| 1920 | 967 |
| 1921 | 919 |
| 1922 | 982 |
| 1923 | 935 |
| 1924 | 850 |
| 1925 | 840 |
| 1926 | 783 |
| 1927 | 795 |
| 1928 | 784 |
| 1929 | 732 |
| 1930 | 665 |
| 1931 | 608 |
| 1932 | 702 |
| 1933 | 581 |
| 1934 | 615 |
| 1935 | 654 |
| 1936 | 608 |
| 1937 | 605 |
| 1938 | 608 |
| 1939 | 622 |
| 1940 | 669 |
| 1941 | 727 |
| 1942 | 842 |
| 1943 | 822 |
| 1944 | 765 |
| 1945 | 730 |
| 1946 | 897 |
| 1947 | 1,045 |
| 1948 | 1,059 |
| 1949 | 1,219 |
| 1950 | 1,299 |
| 1951 | 1,605 |
| 1952 | 2,032 |
| 1953 | 2,381 |
| 1954 | 2,688 |
| 1955 | 3,285 |
| 1956 | 4,373 |
| 1957 | 5,242 |
| 1958 | 6,392 |
| 1959 | 6,567 |
| 1960 | 6,936 |
| 1961 | 7,096 |
| 1962 | 7,292 |
| 1963 | 8,055 |
| 1964 | 9,003 |
| 1965 | 10,008 |
| 1966 | 10,844 |
| 1967 | 13,617 |
| 1968 | 15,900 |
| 1969 | 17,531 |
| 1970 | 20,252 |
| 1971 | 22,635 |
| 1972 | 23,050 |
| 1973 | 24,645 |
| 1974 | 27,305 |
| 1975 | 28,643 |
| 1976 | 30,092 |
| 1977 | 32,134 |
| 1978 | 34,441 |
| 1979 | 35,787 |
| 1980 | 38,032 |
| 1981 | 43,529 |
| 1982 | 46,323 |
| 1983 | 50,525 |
| 1984 | 50,062 |
| 1985 | 47,373 |
| 1986 | 47,205 |
| 1987 | 46,796 |
| 1988 | 46,128 |
| 1989 | 45,547 |
| 1990 | 44,947 |
| 1991 | 41,749 |
| 1992 | 37,826 |
| 1993 | 35,850 |
| 1994 | 33,728 |
| 1995 | 32,942 |
| 1996 | 32,145 |
| 1997 | 31,566 |
| 1998 | 31,200 |
| 1999 | 30,455 |
| 2000 | 28,624 |
| 2001 | 26,861 |
| 2002 | 25,188 |
| 2003 | 24,048 |
| 2004 | 22,987 |
| 2005 | 21,514 |
| 2006 | 20,361 |
| 2007 | 18,776 |
| 2008 | 17,625 |
| 2009 | 16,025 |
| 2010 | 14,160 |
| 2011 | 14,201 |
| 2012 | 14,012 |
| 2013 | 13,377 |
| 2014 | 12,955 |
| 2015 | 12,798 |
| 2016 | 12,677 |
| 2017 | 11,743 |
| 2018 | 10,014 |
| 2019 | 9,285 |
| 2020 | 8,144 |
| 2021 | 7,489 |
| 2022 | 7,079 |
| 2023 | 7,227 |
| 2024 | 7,086 |
Matthew through the decades
- Matthew peaked in 1983, when 50,525 babies were named Matthew in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Matthew has fallen 43% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Matthew currently ranks #33 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
MattMatty
Variants & spellings
MateoMatteo
Famous people named Matthew
- Matthew McConaughey — actor