Mathews
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "gift from God".
Name Census estimates that about 278 living Americans carry the first name Mathews. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mathews today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mathews births was 2006 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mathews. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mathews with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
278
~ 1 in 1,232,929 Americans
Peak year
2006
17 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,506
Tracked since 1896
Census
Mathews in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 590 people with the first name Mathews, which placed it at #18,296 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,296
National first-name rank
People counted
590
590 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
41.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mathews
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mathews is Asian/Pacific Islander at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (24.4%) and Hispanic (16.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mathews described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mathews at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander41.5% · 245
- White24.4% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino16.9% · 100
- Black or African American13.9% · 82
- Two or more races2.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Popularity
Mathews: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mathews from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 113 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mathews 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 Mathews during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mathews' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Massachusetts, Louisiana, Georgia recorded the most babies named Mathews, while Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mathews
The name Mathews finds its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the biblical name Mattityahu, which translates to "Gift of God." This name gained popularity during the early Christian era and spread across various regions as the religion expanded.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mathews can be found in the New Testament, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the twelve apostles, Matthew the Evangelist. This association with a prominent figure in the Christian faith contributed to the name's widespread usage.
During the Middle Ages, the name Mathews experienced variations in spelling, such as Mathieu, Matthias, and Matthaeus, reflecting the linguistic influences of different cultures and regions. It gained particular prominence in countries with strong Christian traditions, including parts of Europe and the Byzantine Empire.
Notable historical figures bearing the name Mathews include:
1. Matthew the Evangelist (1st century AD), one of the four Evangelists who authored the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
2. Matthias Claudius (1740-1815), a German poet and writer known for his lyrical works and contributions to the Sturm und Drang literary movement.
3. Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), an English manufacturer and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution.
4. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), an English poet and cultural critic renowned for his literary works and social commentary.
5. Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), an American naval officer and oceanographer who made significant contributions to the study of ocean currents and navigation.
Throughout history, the name Mathews has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including religious figures, writers, scientists, and statesmen. Its biblical roots and enduring presence across different cultures have solidified its place as a timeless and meaningful name.
People
Mathews + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mathews 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
Mathews: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mathews?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 278 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mathews 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 1,232,929 US residents.
Is Mathews a common name?
We classify Mathews as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 452 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mathews most popular?
The single biggest year for Mathews was 2006, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mathews is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mathews in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 590 people with the name Mathews, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,296 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mathews in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mathews?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mathews leans strongly male. 577 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 11 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mathews?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mathews is Asian/Pacific Islander at 41.5%. The next largest groups are White (24.4%) and Hispanic (16.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mathews most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Mathews in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (245 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mathews in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mathews a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mathews 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.
Is Mathews still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mathews in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mathews can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Mathews?
See how many people have the name Mathews on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.