boy's name
Mathew
MATH-yoo
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 88,318
the United States
#974
2025 births
Mathew drops a t from Matthew, and the doubled t was never in the Hebrew — it entered through the Greek and Latin spellings, so the shorter form is arguably closer to the original.
- Mathew is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 2,184 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,108 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mathew over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 474 |
| 1890s | 415 |
| 1900s | 385 |
| 1910s | 1,584 |
| 1920s | 1,739 |
| 1930s | 890 |
| 1940s | 866 |
| 1950s | 2,059 |
| 1960s | 4,653 |
| 1970s | 10,905 |
| 1980s | 18,725 |
| 1990s | 16,842 |
| 2000s | 10,620 |
| 2010s | 5,910 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,678 |
What Mathew means
Mathew means gift of God, or given by Yahweh. The Hebrew joins the divine name to a word meaning a gift, so it describes the child as something received.
Where Mathew comes from
Mathew is a single-t spelling of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu — mattan, a gift, joined to Yah. The doubled t comes from the Greek Maththaios and the Latin Matthaeus rather than from the Hebrew, so the single-t form is not simply an error. The apostle names himself a tax collector in his own gospel. Mathew is particularly common in Ireland and in Indian Christian communities, where it is often a surname as well.
Mathew in use
Mathew peaked in the United States in 1990, when 2,184 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 896th in Ireland on 3 births, 974th in the United States on 271, 2158th in England and Wales on 12 and 2663rd in France on 10, across 88,318 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Mathew?
In 2025, Mathew was given to 235 babies in the United States, ranking #974 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Mathew is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mathew
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mathew also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mathew over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Mathew
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Mathew in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Mathew
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mathew — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mathew
What does the name Mathew mean?
Gift of God — the Hebrew mattan, a gift, joined to Yah.
Is Mathew a misspelling?
No. The doubled t came from Greek and Latin, not from the Hebrew, so the single-t form has its own basis.
Where is Mathew common?
Particularly Ireland and Indian Christian communities, where it is often a surname too.
How popular is Mathew?
974th in the United States and 896th in Ireland.
Is Mathew a girl's or a boy's name?
Mathew is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mathew?
Mathew has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Mathew?
Mathew is usually shortened to Matt.
Is Mathew a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mathew currently ranks #896 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.