boys' name ★ peaked 1990

Mathew

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #975 Trend ↓ Falling 37%

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Matthew.

Rank 2025
#975
among boys · ↓37 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
235
named Mathew · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,268
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1990
2,184 babies
All-time total
77,745
#377 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Mathew popularity over time

77,745 babies have been named Mathew since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 474 474 47 – #204
1890s – 415 415 42 -12% #240
1900s – 385 385 39 -7% #272
1910s – 1,584 1,584 158 +311% #344
1920s – 1,739 1,739 174 +10% #411
1930s – 890 890 89 -49% #551
1940s – 866 866 87 -3% #633
1950s – 2,059 2,059 206 +138% #417
1960s – 4,653 4,653 465 +126% #297
1970s 56 10,849 10,905 1,091 +134% #182
1980s 103 18,622 18,725 1,873 +72% #139
1990s 43 16,799 16,842 1,684 -10% #148
2000s 5 10,615 10,620 1,062 -37% #252
2010s – 5,910 5,910 591 -44% #402
2020s (to 2025) – 1,678 1,678 280 -53% #713

Where Mathew is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 217 0.13 outside top 500
2027 204 0.12 outside top 500
2028 192 0.11 outside top 500
2029 183 0.11 outside top 500
2030 176 0.10 outside top 500

Where Mathew is most popular

Boys named Mathew per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.154 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Florida, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Mathew born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 270 0.295 +92%
Florida 104 0.220 +43%
New York 93 0.215 +40%
Texas 181 0.205 +34%
New Jersey 40 0.199 +29%
Kentucky 18 0.179 +17%
Washington 29 0.177 +15%
Georgia 41 0.162 +5%
Massachusetts 21 0.153 ≈ national
Ohio 37 0.140 -9%
Maryland 15 0.126 -18%
Arizona 20 0.122 -20%
Illinois 29 0.113 -26%
Nevada 5 0.088 -43%
Louisiana 7 0.068 -55%
Utah 6 0.063 -59%
Virginia 11 0.058 -62%
Indiana 9 0.056 -63%
Pennsylvania 14 0.053 -66%
Michigan 10 0.049 -68%
Tennessee 8 0.044 -71%
Missouri 6 0.043 -72%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -72%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -73%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mathew

Mathew is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #975 in 2025 with 235 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 77,745 American babies have been named Mathew. Its peak came in 1990, when 2,184 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mathew stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mathew?

The median living Mathew is about 35 years old; half are between 25 and 45. An estimated 68 thousand people named Mathew are alive in the United States today.

median 35 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mathew year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 235 #975
2024 – – 246 #938
2023 – – 259 #899
2022 – – 271 #878
2021 – – 315 #783
2020 – – 352 #713
2019 – – 389 #670
2018 – – 479 #578
2017 – – 503 #553
2016 – – 565 #524
2015 – – 628 #477
2014 – – 625 #466
2013 – – 674 #432
2012 – – 656 #427
2011 – – 691 #408
2010 – – 700 #402
2009 – – 799 #380
2008 – – 833 #370
2007 – – 926 #347
2006 – – 1,011 #317
2005 – – 1,093 #301
2004 – – 1,092 #291
2003 – – 1,125 #279
2002 – – 1,121 #274
2001 – – 1,272 #259
2000 5 #16,664 1,343 #252
1995 – – 1,600 #192
1990 10 #8,285 2,174 #148
1985 17 #4,577 1,880 #148
1980 7 #8,713 1,334 #183
1975 7 #7,662 1,125 #198
1970 – – 829 #265
1965 – – 443 #367
1960 – – 336 #438
1955 – – 175 #557
1950 – – 88 #734
1945 – – 90 #638
1940 – – 89 #633
1935 – – 90 #621
1930 – – 120 #551
1925 – – 163 #476
1920 – – 207 #411
1915 – – 204 #376
1910 – – 53 #349
1905 – – 36 #343
1900 – – 57 #272
1895 – – 33 #323
1890 – – 43 #266
1885 – – 34 #288
1880 – – 60 #204

Famous people named Mathew

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mathew Knowles Mathew Knowles American music executive (born 1952) Contemporary
  2. 2 Mathew Brady Mathew Brady American photographer (1822–1896) 19th century
  3. 3 Mathew St. Patrick American actor (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Mathew Belcher Australian sailor (born 1982) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mathew, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mathew?

The median living Mathew is about 35 years old. Half of all living Mathews are between 25 and 45 years old.

How many people named Mathew are alive today?

An estimated 68 thousand people named Mathew are alive in the United States, based on 77,745 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mathew mean?

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Matthew.

How popular is the name Mathew in 2025?

Mathew ranked #975 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 235 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mathew?

77,745 babies have been named Mathew in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mathew most popular?

Mathew peaked in 1990, when 2,184 newborns received the name.

Is Mathew a boy or girl name?

Mathew is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mathew rising or falling?

Mathew is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mathew become more popular?

Mathew is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 176 boys named Mathew in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mathew?

Well-known people named Mathew include Mathew Knowles (musician), Mathew Brady (social activist), Mathew St. Patrick (actor).

Names like Mathew

Names that sound and feel close to Mathew: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mathew with similar names → More names starting with M →