Matthaeus
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Matthaeus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Matthaeus today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matthaeus births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matthaeus. 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 Matthaeus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,504
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Matthaeus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Matthaeus 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 Matthaeus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Matthaeus
Matthaeus is a masculine given name with origins in the Greek language. It is a variant spelling of the name Matthew, which derives from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God." The name first appeared in the biblical New Testament as Maththaios, referring to the apostle and evangelist St. Matthew.
The name Matthaeus gained widespread popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Western Europe. It was commonly used in Germanic and Scandinavian regions, where it was adapted to local spellings and pronunciations, such as Matthäus in German and Matteus in Swedish.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Matthaeus was Matthaeus Platearius, an Italian physician and writer who lived in the 12th century. He authored a notable work on medical practices and remedies, titled "De Simplicibus Medicinis."
Another influential figure bearing the name was Matthaeus Platearius the Younger, who lived in the 13th century and was a renowned physician and professor at the University of Salerno in Italy.
In the 15th century, Matthaeus Fortuna, an Italian humanist scholar and poet, gained recognition for his Latin poetry and writings on rhetoric and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Matthaeus Aurogallus, a Czech astronomer and mathematician born in 1490, made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and the development of the Copernican heliocentric model.
In the 17th century, Matthaeus Merian the Elder, a Swiss engraver and publisher born in 1593, became renowned for his intricate and detailed engravings, particularly his illustrations of landscapes and cities.
Throughout history, the name Matthaeus has been borne by various notable figures across different fields, including religion, medicine, science, and art, reflecting its enduring presence and cultural significance.
People
Matthaeus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matthaeus 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
Matthaeus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matthaeus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matthaeus 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Matthaeus a common name?
We classify Matthaeus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Matthaeus most popular?
The single biggest year for Matthaeus was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matthaeus is about 10 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 Matthaeus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Matthaeus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matthaeus 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 Matthaeus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Matthaeus 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 Matthaeus 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 many people have the name Matthaeus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.