Mateus
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 939 living Americans carry the first name Mateus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mateus today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mateus births was 2007 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mateus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
939
~ 1 in 365,021 Americans
Peak year
2007
52 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,019
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Mateus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mateus from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 380 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mateus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mateus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mateus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mateus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Massachusetts, Florida recorded the most babies named Mateus, while Texas, New York, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 66 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mateus
Mateus is a masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, which means "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God". The name traces its origins to the Biblical figure Matthew the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. It has been widely used in various forms across different cultures and languages throughout history.
In the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew was referred to as Levi, a tax collector who became one of the earliest followers of Jesus. After his conversion, he became known as Matthew, which is the English adaptation of the Greek name Matthias.
The name Mateus gained widespread popularity in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It was introduced to the region by early Christian missionaries and became a common name among the Portuguese nobility and royal families. One of the most notable historical figures with this name is Mateus Fernandes, a renowned 16th-century Portuguese explorer who played a crucial role in the exploration of the east coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
In Italy, the name Matteo has been popular since ancient times. It was the name of several notable figures, including Matteo Ricci, a 16th-century Italian Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Catholic missions in China. Matteo Renzi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, is another famous bearer of this name in modern times.
In Spain, the name is spelled as Mateo and has a long and rich history. One of the most famous Spanish figures with this name was Mateo Alemán, a 16th-century novelist and writer best known for his picaresque novel "Guzmán de Alfarache".
The name Mateus has also been popular in Brazil, where it has been used for centuries. Mateus da Rocha, a 19th-century Brazilian military officer and politician, is one of the notable historical figures who bore this name.
Other famous individuals throughout history who have carried the name Mateus or its variations include Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit priest and missionary in China during the 16th and 17th centuries; Matteo Renzi, an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016; Mateo Alemán, a Spanish novelist and writer from the 16th century; Mateus da Rocha, a Brazilian military officer and politician from the 19th century; and Matteo Salvini, the current leader of the Italian political party Lega Nord.
People
Mateus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mateus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mateus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mateus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 939 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mateus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 365,021 US residents.
Is Mateus a common name?
We classify Mateus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 948 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mateus most popular?
The single biggest year for Mateus was 2007, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mateus is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mateus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mateus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.