Mathayus
A masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Matthew, meaning "gift of God."
Name Census estimates that about 265 living Americans carry the first name Mathayus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mathayus today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mathayus births was 2019 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mathayus. 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
265
~ 1 in 1,293,413 Americans
Peak year
2019
21 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,673
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Mathayus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mathayus from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 125 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mathayus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mathayus 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 Mathayus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mathayus' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mathayus
Mathayus is a given name with origins that can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The name is derived from the Greek word "Mathaios," which means "gift of God." This name was popular among early Christian communities, as it was believed to have symbolic significance related to divine providence.
In the 1st century AD, the name Mathayus was recorded in various historical texts and religious scriptures. The Gospel of Matthew, one of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament, mentions a disciple named Matthew, whose original Hebrew name was likely Mattathyahu or Mattithyahu.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mathayus was a Roman soldier who lived in the 2nd century AD. His name was Mathayus Claudius, and he served in the Praetorian Guard during the reign of Emperor Commodus.
In the 4th century AD, a Christian monk named Mathayus of Trier gained recognition for his pious life and teachings. He is considered a saint in the Catholic Church and is revered in parts of Germany and France.
During the Byzantine Empire, a notable figure named Mathayus Kantakouzenos lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent scholar, philosopher, and statesman who served as a diplomat and advisor to several emperors.
In the 15th century, a Spanish explorer named Mathayus de la Fuente accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot in the Caribbean islands.
Another significant individual with the name Mathayus was Mathayus Corvinus, a Hungarian Renaissance scholar and poet who lived in the 15th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of Hungarian literature and his patronage of the arts and sciences.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Mathayus. While the name has its roots in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, it has been adopted and used across various regions and time periods, often carrying religious or cultural significance.
People
Mathayus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mathayus 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
Mathayus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mathayus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 265 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mathayus 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 1,293,413 US residents.
Is Mathayus a common name?
We classify Mathayus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 267 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mathayus most popular?
The single biggest year for Mathayus was 2019, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mathayus is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mathayus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mathayus 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.