Matthrew
A masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Matthew, meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Matthrew. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Matthrew today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matthrew births was 1988 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matthrew. 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 Matthrew. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1988
5 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1988 SSA rank
#8,086
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Matthrew: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Matthrew 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 Matthrew during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Matthrew
The given name Matthrew is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Mattithyahu, which means "gift of God." The name is rooted in the ancient Hebrew culture and can be traced back to the biblical era.
In the New Testament of the Bible, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ was named Matthew. He was a tax collector before becoming a follower of Jesus, and his account of the life and teachings of Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.
The name Matthrew is a variant spelling of the more common Matthew, with the addition of the letter "h" after the first "t." This variation likely emerged due to regional linguistic influences or misspellings over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Matthrew was Matthrew Wren, an English clergyman and scholar who lived from 1585 to 1667. He served as the Bishop of Ely and was known for his involvement in the construction of the Wren Library at the University of Cambridge.
Another notable figure was Matthrew Hale, an English jurist and legal philosopher who lived from 1609 to 1676. He served as the Lord Chief Justice of England and is remembered for his contributions to the development of English common law.
In the 18th century, Matthrew Boulton was an influential English manufacturer and entrepreneur who lived from 1728 to 1809. He was a pioneering industrialist and played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution.
Matthrew Arnold, an English poet and cultural critic born in 1822, is also a famous bearer of the name. He is renowned for his literary works, including "Dover Beach" and "Culture and Anarchy," which explored the societal and cultural issues of his time.
In more recent history, Matthrew Broderick is an American actor born in 1962. He is best known for his roles in films such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Glory," and "The Lion King."
While the name Matthrew has experienced occasional usage throughout history, it is considered a relatively uncommon variant of the more prevalent name Matthew. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Hebrew culture, and it has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, including religion, law, literature, and entertainment.
People
Matthrew + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matthrew 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
Matthrew: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matthrew?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matthrew 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 Matthrew a common name?
We classify Matthrew 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 Matthrew most popular?
The single biggest year for Matthrew was 1988, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matthrew is about 37 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 Matthrew in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Matthrew a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matthrew 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 Matthrew still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Matthrew 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 Matthrew 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 share the name Matthrew?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.