Matthew
MATH-yoo
Matthew comes from the Hebrew “Mattityahu,” a compound of “mattan” (gift) and “Yahu,” the shortened form of the divine name Yahweh, producing the meaning “gift of God” or “gift of Yahweh.” The root “mattan” connects to Proto-Semitic *ntn (to give),
which appears in cognate names across the Semitic family including Nathaniel (gift of God, with elements reversed) and Jonathan (Yahweh has given).
The form “Matthias” preserves a contracted version of the same Hebrew name and appears in the New Testament as the apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot, giving the name 2 distinct apostolic lineages.
What the name Matthew means
The name’s definitive cultural anchor is Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, the tax collector called by Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, traditionally credited as the author of the first Gospel - which became the most quoted gospel in early
Christian writing.
Matthew’s feast day (September 21 in the Western church) was widely observed throughout medieval Christendom, and his patronage of tax collectors, accountants, and bankers gave the name occupational associations across mercantile Europe.
The Latin form “Matthaeus” entered the English-speaking world through the Vulgate Bible and Norman ecclesiastical culture after 1066, supplanting earlier Anglo-Saxon forms and establishing “Matthew” as the dominant English rendering.
In the early modern period, Matthew appears among the first English settlers in North America; Matthew Mayhew and Matthew Lyon are among the colonial-era figures who carried the name into the early republic.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” (BWV 244, 1727) is 1 of the most celebrated works in the Western choral canon, ensuring the name’s association with high musical culture.
In the US, Matthew entered the top 10 in 1973 and remained there almost continuously through 2007, reaching the number-1 position in 1995 and again in 2001-2002, driven by the broader trend toward biblical names in late 20th-century American naming
culture.
Actor Matthew McConaughey, whose career spanned romantic comedies and Oscar-winning dramatic roles, provided sustained celebrity visibility for the name through the 2000s and 2010s.
Variant forms include Matteo (Italian), Matthieu (French), Mateus (Portuguese), Mateusz (Polish), and Mattias (Swedish), each carrying distinct phonological adaptations while maintaining the same theological root.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Matthew
Matthew - similar names
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Ways to spell Matthew
| Variant | Language |
|---|---|
| Matt | English short form |
| Mathieu | French |
| Matthias | German/Greek |
| Matteo | Italian |
| Mateusz | Polish |
| Mateus | Portuguese |
| Matvei | Russian |
| Mateo | Spanish |