Mathison
An English masculine name derived from the Hebrew name "Matthew" meaning "gift of God."
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Mathison. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Mathison today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mathison births was 2012 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mathison. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mathison. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2012
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,754
Tracked since 1997
Gender
Gender distribution for Mathison
Mathison is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Mathison as a male name
- Ranked #11,754 in 2012
- 6 male births in 2012
- Peak: 2012 (6 births)
Mathison as a female name
- Ranked #15,250 in 1997
- 5 female births in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (5 births)
Popularity
Mathison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mathison from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mathison 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 Mathison during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mathison
The name Mathison is of English origin, derived from the Hebrew name Matthias, which means "gift of God." The name Matthias has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and can be traced back to the biblical era.
In the New Testament, Matthias was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus Christ. After the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was chosen to replace him as one of the twelve apostles. This event is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, where it is mentioned that Matthias was chosen by casting lots, a common practice at the time.
The name Matthias was later Latinized and became Matthew, which was a popular name among early Christians. Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Mathison, as it spread across different regions and cultures.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mathison was Mathison de Calvi, a French nobleman who lived in the 12th century. Another notable figure was Mathison de Montfort, a renowned military leader during the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century.
In the 16th century, Mathison Leckington was a prominent English merchant who played a significant role in establishing trade routes between England and the Netherlands. Around the same time, Mathison Durand was a French philosopher and theologian who made notable contributions to the Renaissance humanism movement.
During the 18th century, Mathison Browne was a renowned British architect who designed several iconic buildings, including the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford. In the 19th century, Mathison Everett was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Throughout history, the name Mathison has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and military leaders. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, the name remains a testament to its biblical roots and the enduring influence of ancient Hebrew culture on modern naming traditions.
People
Mathison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mathison 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
Mathison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mathison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mathison 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Mathison a common name?
We classify Mathison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mathison most popular?
The single biggest year for Mathison was 2012, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mathison is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Mathison in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mathison a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Mathison 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 Mathison still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mathison 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 Mathison 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Mathison?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Mathison on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.