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Matei as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Matei

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The baby name Matei is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /maˈtej/ (Romanian); approx. mah-TAY in English.

Matei is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /maˈtej/ (Romanian); approx. mah-TAY in English

What is the meaning of the name Matei ?

The baby name Matei is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /maˈtej/ (Romanian); approx. mah-TAY in English.

Matei is Hebrew in Origin.

Matei is the standard Romanian and Moldovan form of Matthew, deriving via Latin Matthaeus and Greek Matthaios from Hebrew Matityahu, “gift of God” or “gift of Yahweh.” Used across Orthodox and secular communities, it remains familiar yet understated; pronunciation in Romanian is ma-TEY.

Records show Matei in the medieval Romanian principalities, strengthened by veneration of Saint Matthew the Evangelist. A notable bearer is Matei Basarab, 17th-century Prince of Wallachia, and in modern letters the playwright Matei Vișniec. The name is seldom reduced to a diminutive in Romanian, though international nicknames like Mati appear. Close cognates and variants include Matthew (English), Matteo (Italian), Mathieu/Matthieu (French), Mateusz (Polish), Mateus/Matheus (Portuguese), Matías/Matias (Spanish and Nordic), and Slavic Matej/Matěj. A rarer Romanian literary variant is Mateiu. The related but distinct Matthias shares the same Hebrew root.

Matei has the following similar or variant Names

Matei – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 423
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
MD Boys 0 #78 4 756
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
CY Boys 0 #129 3 3,473
Switzerland Boys 2024 #134 4 1,769
Belgium Boys 2024 #151 38 401
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
Sweden Boys 2022 #179 4 1,509
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
BG Boys 0 #202 18 3,850
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
SI Boys 0 #210 2 3,402
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
HR Boys 0 #255 5 3,997
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
CZ Boys 0 #304 2 6,530
Canada Boys 2022 #305 6 2,557
France Boys 2021 #320 68 2,865
DK Boys 0 #329 4 7,401
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
UY Boys 0 #411 3 5,922
Austria Boys 0 #433 10 2,180
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
GT Boys 0 #498 2 7,625
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
IR Boys 0 #558 8 10,162
IN Girls 0 #611 21 13,121
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
SG Girls 0 #632 1 18,916
Finland Boys 2026 #675 8 3,552
IT 0 #695 20 4,183
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
QA Boys 0 #740 4 18,093
Spain Boys 0 #834 97 5,610
United States Boys 2024 #875 18 7,044
CO Boys 0 #909 12 15,656
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
Germany Boys 0 #924 29 5,697
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
NL Boys 0 #936 16 5,873
Spain Girls 0 #952 32 5,561
IT Boys 0 #1,014 470 10,046
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
AE Boys 0 #1,140 4 22,615
IT Girls 0 #1,182 266 9,415
MA 0 #1,199 1 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,235 2 25,928
TR 0 #1,253 2 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,265 3 17,781
SA Boys 0 #1,690 2 28,008

Matei is popular in 49 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
France
Switzerland
Canada
Ireland

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People also ask about Matei

Matei is predominantly a boy's name.
Matei is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /maˈtej/ (Romanian); approx. mah-TAY in English.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Matej, Matěj, Mateo, Matteo, Matheus and Matías.
Across languages, Matei has these equivalents: Matthew (English), Matteo (Italian), Mateo (Spanish), Matheus/Matheus (Portuguese), Matej/Matěj (Slavic languages), and 3 more.
Yes, very popular — Matei ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Matei ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Matei's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.