Matthijs
A masculine Dutch name derived from the Hebrew name Matthew, meaning "Gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Matthijs. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Matthijs today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matthijs births was 2014 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matthijs. 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 Matthijs with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Matthijs. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2014
8 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,430
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Matthijs: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Matthijs 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 Matthijs 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 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Matthijs
Matthijs is a masculine given name of Dutch origin, derived from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, which means "gift of Yahweh" or "given by God." The name was introduced to the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, likely through the influence of Christian biblical texts and religious teachings.
The earliest known historical figure bearing the name Matthijs was Matthijs van Boulogne, a Dutch-born Franciscan friar who lived in the 13th century. He is known for his work as a preacher and missionary, spreading the Christian faith in the Low Countries.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the infamous Matthijs the Baker, also known as Jan Matthijsz, a Dutch Anabaptist leader who played a significant role in the Münster Rebellion of 1534-1535. Despite his radical beliefs and eventual demise, his story has been documented in various historical accounts of the Protestant Reformation.
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, the name Matthijs was associated with several notable figures, including Matthijs Maris, a renowned Dutch painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. Another prominent bearer of the name was Matthijs Calckoen, a Dutch merchant and diplomat who served as the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1636 to 1641.
In the 18th century, Matthijs Naiveu, a Dutch architect and engineer, made significant contributions to the development of Amsterdam's infrastructure, designing several bridges and canals in the city.
Fast forward to the 20th century, Matthijs Verhooghen was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, known for his bravery and involvement in sabotage operations against the Nazi occupation forces.
It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Matthias and Matthew, have been used across different cultures and regions, reflecting the name's enduring popularity and historical significance.
People
Matthijs + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matthijs 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
Matthijs: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matthijs?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matthijs 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Matthijs a common name?
We classify Matthijs as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Matthijs most popular?
The single biggest year for Matthijs was 2014, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matthijs 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 Matthijs in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Matthijs a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matthijs 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 Matthijs still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Matthijs 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 Matthijs 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 Matthijs?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.