Meaning and history
Matthew is the English form of Greek Matthaios, the New Testament form of Mattithiah. Matthew, probably also known as Levi, was a tax collector, one of the twelve apostles, and the traditional author of the first gospel; he is venerated as a saint in many Christian traditions. Matthias, found elsewhere in the New Testament, was a different apostle. Used in English since the Middle Ages, Matthew became especially popular across the English-speaking world in the mid-20th century and ranked near the top for boys during the 1980s and 1990s. Notable bearers include American naval officer Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858) and actors Matthew Broderick, Matthew McConaughey, and Matthew Perry.
20062006: 20,339 births, rank #5
2007: 18,756 births, rank #9
2008: 17,604 births, rank #10
2009: 16,010 births, rank #13
2010: 14,148 births, rank #16
20112011: 14,184 births, rank #12
2012: 13,993 births, rank #12
2013: 13,364 births, rank #15
2014: 12,944 births, rank #16
2015: 12,785 births, rank #15
20162016: 12,665 births, rank #15
2017: 11,732 births, rank #16
2018: 10,009 births, rank #20
2019: 9,277 births, rank #23
2020: 8,142 births, rank #30
20212021: 7,489 births, rank #36
2022: 7,077 births, rank #39
2023: 7,234 births, rank #32
2024: 7,107 births, rank #33
20252025: 7,003 births, rank #32
Matthew has made a dramatic comeback. After first appearing in the US records in 1880, it fell to #208 by 1931, before climbing to #32 in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1983, with 50,209 births.