boy's name
Mathias
ma-TEE-as
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 61,400
the United States
#312
2025 births
Mathias is a boy's name, the French and Scandinavian form of Matthias, from a Hebrew name meaning gift of God. It ranks 197th in France, but there are now four times as many American births as French ones each year.
- Mathias is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in France in 2006, when 1,460 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 2,144 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Mathias over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 580 |
| 1910s | 460 |
| 1920s | 350 |
| 1930s | 285 |
| 1940s | 240 |
| 1950s | 225 |
| 1960s | 795 |
| 1970s | 3,205 |
| 1980s | 4,390 |
| 1990s | 7,685 |
| 2000s | 12,865 |
| 2010s | 7,370 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,425 |
What Mathias means
Mathias means gift of God. The Hebrew name behind it joins a form of the divine name to a word for a gift, so the sense is that the child is something given rather than merely received.
Where Mathias comes from
Mathias descends through Latin Matthias from the Greek Matthias, which renders the Hebrew Mattityahu — mattan, a gift, joined to Yah, a short form of the divine name. The same Hebrew root produced Matthew, so Mathias and Matthew are two arrivals of one name that reached English by different routes: Matthew through the Gospel writer, Mathias through the apostle chosen by lot in Acts to replace Judas. Continental Europe kept the single-t Latin spelling while English settled on the doubled form, which is why Mathias reads as French, German or Scandinavian to an English eye even though the source is identical.
Mathias in use
Mathias ranks 197th in France on 275 births and 312th in the United States on 1,087, so despite France holding 57,472 lifetime births and being the market our records draw its history from, there are now roughly four American births for every French one. It peaked in France in 2006, when 1,460 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It also charts in Ireland at 457th and in England and Wales at 513th.
How popular is Mathias?
In 2025, Mathias was given to 275 babies in France, ranking #197 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Mathias is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mathias
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mathias also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mathias over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Mathias
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.
Mathias 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 Mathias
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mathias — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mathias
What does the name Mathias mean?
Gift of God, from the Hebrew Mattityahu.
Is Mathias the same name as Matthew?
They share a Hebrew root but arrived separately — Matthew through the Gospel writer, Mathias through the apostle in Acts.
Is it Mathias or Matthias?
Both are correct. Continental Europe kept the single t from Latin; English doubled it.
How popular is Mathias?
197th in France and 312th in the United States.
Is Mathias a girl's or a boy's name?
Mathias is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mathias?
Mathias has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Mathias?
Mathias is usually shortened to Mat, Matty and Matti.
Is Mathias a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mathias currently ranks #197 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.