Matthew
Through Greek Matthaios from the Hebrew Mattityahu, gift of Yahweh. The tax collector turned apostle is traditionally credited with the first gospel.
Matthew in 2025
Matthew was given to 7,008 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 47th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 473 babies born.
The history of Matthew
Matthew reached its highest point in 1983, when 50,526 babies were given the name, ranking 4th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 2nd, in 1995.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 1,659,655 babies have been named Matthew. Half of them were born before 1988, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Matthew by decade
| Decade | Babies named Matthew | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,068 | 253 |
| 1890s | 1,132 | 354 |
| 1900s | 1,188 | 435 |
| 1910s | 6,233 | 352 |
| 1920s | 8,587 | 362 |
| 1930s | 6,268 | 421 |
| 1940s | 8,775 | 390 |
| 1950s | 35,860 | 136 |
| 1960s | 106,277 | 38 |
| 1970s | 278,959 | 7 |
| 1980s | 461,518 | 4 |
| 1990s | 352,417 | 2 |
| 2000s | 222,020 | 3 |
| 2010s | 125,256 | 17 |
| 2020s | 44,097 | 43 |
Where Matthew is heading
Matthew has fallen 45% over the past decade, from 12,800 babies in 2015 to 7,008 in 2025.
Names like Matthew
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Matthew.