Matie
A Dutch diminutive form of the feminine name Matilda, meaning "battle-mighty".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Matie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Matie today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matie births was 1884 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matie. 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
- • The typical person named Matie is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Maties were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Matie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1884
26 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
2009 SSA rank
#19,185
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Matie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Matie from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1880s, with 164 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1880s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Matie 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 Matie 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 Matie
The name Matie has its origins in the Dutch language and culture, with records dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to be a diminutive form of the name Maria, derived from the Latin name Marius, meaning "male" or "masculine".
In the Netherlands, the name Matie was commonly used as a nickname or pet name for Maria, particularly among the Dutch-speaking population. It gained popularity during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of immense cultural and economic prosperity in the Netherlands from the late 16th to the late 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Matie can be found in the Dutch East India Company's archives, where a woman named Matie Jansdochter is mentioned in a document dated 1671. She was a resident of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) during the Dutch colonial era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Matie. One such person was Matie Levi (1867-1941), a Dutch writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reforms in the Netherlands.
Another notable figure was Matie Groenen (1856-1929), a Belgian author and poet who wrote extensively in the Flemish dialect. Her works were celebrated for their vivid depictions of rural life and the struggles of the working class.
In the United States, Matie Heyser (1868-1945) was a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist from Louisiana. She was actively involved in various charitable organizations and played a significant role in promoting education and social welfare initiatives in her community.
Moving to South Africa, Matie Magdalena van Schalkwyk (1874-1962) was a renowned Afrikaans writer and poet. Her works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the Afrikaner identity, contributed significantly to the development of Afrikaans literature in the early 20th century.
Finally, in Australia, Matie Wilkinson (1875-1955) was a pioneering female doctor and activist. She was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Melbourne's medical program and dedicated her life to improving healthcare access for women and children in rural communities.
While the name Matie may not be as commonly used today as it once was, its historical significance and the remarkable individuals who bore this name have left an indelible mark on various cultures and societies around the world.
People
Matie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matie 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
Matie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matie 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Matie a common name?
We classify Matie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 579 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Matie most popular?
The single biggest year for Matie was 1884, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matie is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Matie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matie in the SSA data are female. 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.