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Matthew as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Matthew

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The baby name Matthew is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmæθjuː/ (MATH-yoo).

Matthew is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /ˈmæθjuː/ (MATH-yoo)

What is the meaning of the name Matthew ?

The baby name Matthew is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmæθjuː/ (MATH-yoo).

Matthew is Hebrew in Origin.

Matthew derives from the Hebrew Matityahu (מַתִּתְיָהוּ), meaning “gift of Yahweh” or “gift of God.” Via Greek Matthaios and Latin Matthaeus, it entered Old French as Mathieu and Middle English as Matheu/Matthew. The name’s enduring prominence stems from Saint Matthew, the tax collector turned apostle and traditional author of the first canonical Gospel, anchoring it across Christian cultures. The related form Matthias appears in Acts.

Used across medieval England, preserved after the Reformation and favored by Puritans; in the United States it reached the Top 5 in the late 1980s–1990s and remains a steady classic in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia. International variants include Matthias/Mathias, Matteo and Mattia (Italian), Mateo (Spanish), Mathieu and Mathis (French), Matthäus and Mattias (German/Scandinavian), Matheus/Mateus (Portuguese), Maciej (Polish), Matěj/Matej/Matija (Slavic), and Matvey (Russian). Common diminutives are Matt and Matty; feminine forms include Mattea and Matea.

Matthew has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Matthew

Matthew Gregory Lewis Politician · Born 1775 · United Kingdom Matthew Gregory Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist best known for his Gothic horror novel The Monk. Often called "Monk" Lewis because of that book’s success, he became a notable figure in Gothic literature. Matisyahu Musician · Born 1979 · United States Matisyahu, born Matthew Paul Miller, is an American musician known for blending reggae, hip hop, and rock with Jewish themes. He gained fame with his hit song 'King Without a Crown' and has released albums like 'Youth' and 'Light'. His unique style and energetic performances have captivated audiences worldwide. Matthew Kantakouzenos Royal · Born 1325 · Byzantine Empire Matthew Kantakouzenos was a Byzantine prince and military leader in the 14th century. He is most famous for his role in the Byzantine civil war, where he supported his father, Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. His efforts were crucial in securing his father's position as emperor.
M. Ward Musician · Born 1973 · United States Matthew Stephen Ward, better known as M. Ward, is best known as an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He makes folk- and blues-influenced Americana, and is known for songs and albums like Chinese Translation, Post-War, and Hold Time.

Celebrity babies named Matthew

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Matthew Collins Phil Collins television actor ★★★★★
Matthew Guinness Alec Guinness television actor ★★★★★
Matthew Arkin Alan Arkin film director ★★★★★
Matthew Previn Mia Farrow television actor ★★★★★
Matthew Welch Catherine O'Hara film director ★★★★★ Bo Welch film director ★★★★★
Matthew Alejandro Mottola Sodi Thalía television actor ★★★★★
Matthew Penn Arthur Penn film director ★★★★★
Matthew Antonio Grillo Russell Janet Grillo film director ★★★★★ David O. Russell film director ★★★★★
Matthew Vaughn Robert Vaughn television actor ★★★★★
Matthew Ansara Barbara Eden television actor ★★★★★ Michael Ansara television actor ★★★★★

Matthew – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
MT 0 #6 46 1,767
KH Boys 0 #9 1 270
MT Boys 0 #11 524 4,064
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
KR Boys 0 #25 3 897
BF Boys 0 #26 1 439
New Zealand Boys 2010 #29 156 99
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
NA 0 #30 4 2,537
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
United States Boys 2024 #33 7,078 7,044
MO 0 #34 19 2,706
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
HK Boys 0 #52 2,934 12,905
JP 0 #55 23 4,057
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
Canada Boys 2024 #60 426 2,588
JM 0 #63 25 3,714
MO Boys 0 #63 216 5,842
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
CN 0 #67 19 3,857
ZA 0 #70 534 14,421
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
PH 0 #81 16 5,607
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
QA 0 #88 13 7,011
JM Boys 0 #92 271 6,876
NG Boys 0 #92 5,802 16,906
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
TW 0 #96 8 4,523
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
OM 0 #104 13 6,215
ID Boys 0 #106 26 4,130
SG 0 #107 187 11,010
GE Boys 0 #108 3 2,055
CR 0 #110 49 5,526
BN Boys 0 #113 21 6,332
HK 0 #115 325 8,483
NA Boys 0 #115 127 6,830
GH Boys 0 #117 478 8,138
CY Boys 0 #118 12 3,473
KW 0 #118 4 5,216
BW Boys 0 #121 29 4,685
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
Norway Boys 2023 #129 7 460
Switzerland Boys 2024 #129 9 1,769
SG Boys 0 #129 1,208 17,960
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
GR 0 #132 4 3,911
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
NG 0 #134 136 5,926
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
JO 0 #139 2 2,158
AE 0 #143 35 10,220
ZA Boys 0 #147 4,367 25,619
LT Boys 0 #150 2 2,166
Belgium Boys 2024 #152 37 401
CN Boys 0 #162 184 9,639
HU Boys 0 #163 12 3,954
GH 0 #171 73 5,396
PR Boys 0 #171 8 2,508
TW Boys 0 #173 70 7,111
Sweden Boys 2022 #176 7 1,509
CZ 0 #176 10 3,154
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
PH Boys 0 #185 228 11,440
RU 0 #188 7 3,641
DK 0 #190 14 5,198
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
CR Boys 0 #194 452 10,188
LU Boys 0 #206 13 4,970
JP Boys 0 #207 91 7,909
PL 0 #208 5 2,600
SI Boys 0 #210 2 3,402
BG Boys 0 #218 3 3,850
IR 0 #218 12 4,221
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
EC Boys 0 #238 9 3,322
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
GR Boys 0 #241 27 6,912
CZ Boys 0 #246 59 6,530
MY 0 #247 84 12,352
HR Boys 0 #248 11 3,997
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
PL Boys 0 #254 83 6,459
MO Girls 0 #261 3 7,056
France Boys 2021 #271 121 2,865
AF Boys 0 #273 2 3,535
IL 0 #274 9 6,291
KZ Boys 0 #277 13 6,578
DK Boys 0 #278 48 7,401
SA 0 #284 12 10,560
Canada Girls 2003 #287 7 2,527
AL Boys 0 #301 3 5,122
MU Boys 0 #315 43 8,477
PE 0 #326 4 6,350
GH Girls 0 #329 9 6,973
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
NL 0 #335 57 2,481
QA Girls 0 #342 2 15,378
PT Boys 0 #345 23 7,951
RU Boys 0 #349 160 12,621
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
UY Boys 0 #363 37 5,922
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
JO Boys 0 #368 10 7,057
MY Boys 0 #369 1,153 25,439
EG 0 #391 10 6,387
Finland Boys 0 #394 34 2,041
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
SD Boys 0 #398 48 10,523
Austria Boys 0 #399 44 2,180
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
Spain 0 #420 33 2,326
Germany 0 #423 15 2,542
OM Girls 0 #423 2 15,987
PH Girls 0 #423 7 13,098
CL 0 #428 7 6,867
MX 0 #439 7 8,339
GT Boys 0 #441 34 7,625
NL Boys 0 #441 683 5,873
PA Boys 0 #446 36 9,305
AR Boys 0 #449 19 7,628
Finland Boys 2026 #469 247 3,552
NG Girls 0 #475 365 15,093
RU Girls 0 #489 10 11,913
PS Boys 0 #491 58 10,655
IR Boys 0 #493 60 10,162
CO 0 #502 9 7,768
LY 0 #512 24 12,703
BH 0 #517 37 17,937
PA Girls 0 #518 1 9,861
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
CM Boys 0 #529 22 12,054
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
IL Boys 0 #547 61 10,983
KW Girls 0 #556 6 19,177
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
BO Boys 0 #562 31 9,244
BD Boys 0 #565 12 10,045
CL Boys 0 #566 100 13,390
IT 0 #567 149 4,183
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
AE Girls 0 #593 5 20,968
HK Girls 0 #593 23 16,104
QA Boys 0 #604 104 18,093
EG Boys 0 #608 295 15,035
IT Boys 0 #621 1,250 10,046
SG Girls 0 #624 9 18,916
LB 0 #640 19 13,263
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
IQ Boys 0 #647 21 13,071
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
CO Boys 0 #669 260 15,656
PE Boys 0 #698 182 14,506
Spain Boys 0 #710 226 5,610
KW Boys 0 #713 57 18,755
BR Boys 0 #716 36 12,213
SY 0 #762 6 11,684
Germany Boys 0 #771 182 5,697
OM Boys 0 #798 84 17,948
TN 0 #858 8 13,765
AE Boys 0 #864 230 22,615
MX Boys 0 #865 118 16,355
United States Girls 2024 #909 8 8,487
CL Girls 0 #911 5 14,098
EG Girls 0 #940 20 14,742
IN Boys 0 #970 32 16,750
MY Girls 0 #980 15 24,821
BR Girls 0 #992 1 12,708
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
SA Girls 0 #1,011 4 25,931
CO Girls 0 #1,068 11 16,140
ZA Girls 0 #1,091 51 25,928
MA 0 #1,117 12 20,986
DZ 0 #1,161 16 20,130
TR 0 #1,163 49 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,266 2 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,437 10 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,448 167 28,008

Matthew is popular in 96 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Norway
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Matthew

Matthew is predominantly a boy's name.
Matthew is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈmæθjuː/ (MATH-yoo).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mathew, Matt, Mat and Matty.
Across languages, Matthew has these equivalents: Mattityahu (Hebrew), Matthaios (Greek: Ματθαῖος), Matthaeus (Latin), Matthieu (French), Matteo (Italian), and 8 more.
Yes, very popular — Matthew ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 12 countries.
Matthew ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Matthew's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 4 notable people named Matthew are in our database, including Matthew Gregory Lewis (Politician), Matisyahu (Musician), Matthew Kantakouzenos (Royal).
Yes — at least 10 celebrity couples have chosen Matthew for their child, including Phil Collins.