Boys' name · peaked in 1987
Mathew name popularity since 1925
73,915 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Mathew. Half of them were born in 1989 or earlier, so the typical Mathew is about 37 years old in 2026. Mathew peaked in 1987 as the #140 name for boys, and it ranked #975 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 73,915
- Named Mathew, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #975
- for boys in 2025 (235 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 207 girls · 73,708 boys
- Most popular in
- Idaho
- 2.10× its national share
Peak year is the year Mathew made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Mathew births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1990. Measured as a share of all babies, Mathew peaked in 1987.
- Fastest rise: Between 1962 and 1967, Mathew became 2.2× more common, from 1 in 6,370 baby boys to 1 in 2,940.
- Steepest fall: Between 2017 and 2022, its share of baby boys fell by 43%, from 1 in 3,680 to 1 in 6,440.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Mathew's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Mathew.
Decade by decade
Babies named Mathew in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 767 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 890 | #621 |
| 1940s | 0 | 866 | #638 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,059 | #557 |
| 1960s | 0 | 4,653 | #367 |
| 1970s | 56 | 10,849 | #198 |
| 1980s | 103 | 18,622 | #148 |
| 1990s | 43 | 16,799 | #192 |
| 2000s | 5 | 10,615 | #301 |
| 2010s | 0 | 5,910 | #477 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,678 | #975 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
40.4% of babies named Mathew from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Mathew is most popular
The index compares Mathew's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Mathew.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 2.10× | 590 |
| Oregon | 2.02× | 1,339 |
| Washington | 1.96× | 2,312 |
| Nevada | 1.85× | 467 |
| Utah | 1.79× | 1,078 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Mathew and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Mathew (this page) | 73,708 | 1987 |
| Matthew | 1,639,811 | 1983 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Mathew's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Mathew.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Mathew (1987).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data