Matthew

Hebrew
"gift of God"

Matthew Origin and Meaning

The name Matthew is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".

Matthew was the third most popular boys' name in America throughout the 1980s and '90s, and is still one of the top boy names starting with M. The New Testament Matthew is the epitome of the fashionable classic—safe and sturdy, yet with a more engaging personality than John or William.

Matthew is the English derivative of Matthaios, the Greek form of the Hebrew Mattiyahu, composed of mattan, meaning "gift" and yah, in reference to God. The biblical Matthew was the apostle who wrote the first Gospel in the New Testament. Mateo, Matthias, Teo, Matek, and Mattia are among the many names derived from Matthew.

Matthew is so common by now, though, that parents have started to seek fresher choices, like Matthew-inspired variations Matthias and Mateo.

The name suddenly became very popular in the U.S. in the 1960s, with Matts appearing on many Western (e.g., Gunsmoke's Marshall Matt Dillon) and other TV shows. Currently there are several prominent real-life Matthews and Matts, including Broderick, McConaughey, Lauer, Damon and Dillon. Celebs who have chosen international versions for their starbabies include Ricky Martin (Matteo), Benjamin Bratt (Matteo), Colin Firth (Mateo) and Will Ferrell (Mattias).

# 32 in the US

Matthew Rank in US Top 1000

# 143 on Nameberry

Matthew Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Matthew Popularity

Famous People Named Matthew

  • Matthew Charles "Matt" Czuchry
    American actor
  • Matthew "MatPat" Patrick
    YouTube personality
  • Saint Matthew
    Apostle
  • Matthew Flinders
    English navigator who first identified Australia
  • Matthew Calbraith Perry
    U.S. Navy commodore
  • Matthew Arnold
    English poet
  • Matthew James "Matt" Bellamy
    English lead singer of band Muse
  • Matthew Staton "Matt" Bomer
    American actor
  • Matthew Broderick
    American actor
  • Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon
    American actor
  • Matthew Chandler Fox
    American actor
  • (David) Matthew Macfadyen
    English actor
  • Matthew Ebden
    Australian tennis player
  • Matthew Stevens
    Welsh snooker player
  • Matthew Rhys (Evans)
    Welsh actor
  • Matthew David McConaughey
    American actor
  • Matthew "Matt" Phillips
    Scottish professional footballer
  • Matthew Langford Perry
    American actor
  • Matthew Paton
    Scottish Covenanter executed after the Battle of Rullion Green
  • Matthew Steven "Matt" LeBlanc
    American actor
  • Matthew David "Matt" Lewis
    English actor
  • Matthew Robert 'Matt' Smith
    English actor, known as the 11th Doctor
  • Matthew Gray Gubler
    American actor, director and model
  • (John) Matthew Stafford
    American football player
  • Matthew Brettingham
    English architect
  • Matthew Boulton
    English businessman and partner of James Watt
  • Matthew Gray Nelson
    musician, son of actor/musician Ricky Nelson
  • Matthew William Lawrence
    American actor
  • Matthew Romano
    son of actor Ray Romano
  • Matthew James "Matt" Shively
    Jr, American actor
  • Matthew "MattyB" Morris
    American rapper
  • Matthew Phineas
    son of actress Mia Farrow
  • (Cameron) Matthew Followill
    musician for American band Kings of Leon
  • Matthew Timmons
    American actor
  • (Jeffrey) Matthew Settle
    American actor
  • Matthew Edward Lowe
    son of actor Rob Lowe
  • Matthew James "Matt" Morrison
    American actor
  • Matthew "Da Kurlzz" St. Claire
    musician of band Hollywood Undead
  • Matthew "Matt" Cahill
    English singer of band Kingsland Road
  • Matthew Joseph "Matt" Cohen
    American actor
  • Matthew Kelly Sharp
    American bass player and founding member of the band Weezer
  • Matthew "M Shadows" Sanders
    American musician, singer of Avenged Sevenfold
  • Matthew "Matt" McGorry
    American actor, feminist and equality activist
  • Matthew Jay Povich
    son of Connie Chung and Maury Povich
  • Matthew Andrew Daddario
    American actor
  • Matthew Santoro
    Canadian vlogger
  • Matthew Romney
    son of American politician Mitt Romney
  • Matthew Abood
    Australian swimmer
  • Matthew "Matt" Meese
    American actor and co,creator of YouTube sketch comedy show Studio C
  • Matthew Goode
    English actor
  • Matthew "Matt" Thomas Cain
    former San Francisco Giants baseball pitcher
  • Matthew "Matt" Phillips
    Scottish professional footballer
  • Matthew Scott “Matt” Besler
    American soccer player
  • Matthew "Matt" Niskanen
    professional hockey player
  • Matthew Shear
    American actor and producer
  • Matthew Alejandro Mattola (b. 2011)
    son of American music executive Tommy Mattola and Mexican telenovela star
  • Matthew Wilder
    American singer

Matthew in Pop Culture

  • Matthew Crawley
    character on TV's "Downton Abbey"
  • Matthew "Matt" Dillon
    character on TV's "Gunsmoke" portrayed by James Arness
  • Matthew Fairchild
    character in upcoming trilogy The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare
  • Matthew "Matty" McKibben
    character on MTV's "Awkward"
  • Matthew "Matt" Murdock aka Daredevil
    Marvel Comics superhero
  • Matthew Williams
    the personification of Canada in the manga/anime "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
  • Matthew "Matt
    " main character on educational animated series "Cyberchase"
  • Matthew Cooper
    character on TV's "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
  • Matthew Cuthbert
    character in L.M. Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables" series
  • Mathew "Matt" Freeman
    main character in the "Power of Five" series
  • Matthew "Matt" Donovan
    character in The Vampire Diaries series
  • Matthew "Matt
    " character in video game "Until Dawn"
  • Matthew Tilpin
    character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
  • Matthew Derringer
    character in the YouTube series "Most Popular Girls in School"
  • Matthew "Matt" Casey
    character on TV's "Chicago Fire"
  • Matthew Lynch
    character in book series "The Raven Cycle"
  • 'Matthew And Son'
    song by Cat Stevens
  • Matthew "Matt" McGinnis
    character in DC Universe
  • Matthew Hagen
    also known as Clayface, character in DC Universe
  • Matthew Kidman
    character in the 2004 film "The Girl Next Door"
  • Matthew
    character in the games Seduce Me and Seduce Me 2
  • Matthew "Matt" Saracen
    character in Friday Night Lights