Matthew
/M-AE-TH-Y-UW/
Gift of God, the tax collector who left everything to follow Christ — Matthew was a publican sitting at his booth when Jesus called him with two words: follow me. He abandoned his ledgers and his livelihood and became the evangelist whose gospel opens the New Testament. His name carries the possibility of sudden, total transformation and the grace that finds unlikely saints in the most despised professions
See Matthew scored for your familyMeaning & origin
Matthew is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Christian families. The name means "Gift of God, the tax collector who left everything to follow Christ — Matthew was a publican sitting at his booth when Jesus called him with two words: follow me. He abandoned his ledgers and his livelihood and became the evangelist whose gospel opens the New Testament. His name carries the possibility of sudden, total transformation and the grace that finds unlikely saints in the most despised professions" and belongs to the Divine cluster — names rooted in sacred meaning and spiritual tradition.
Beyond its Christian heritage, Matthew is also used in Jewish traditions, reflecting how this name has traveled across cultures.
Common among American, European, MiddleEastern, Israeli, Singaporean, HongKonger, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese families, Matthew carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
Numerology of Matthew
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Matthew resonates in either tradition.
How Matthew sounds
NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Matthew breaks down into 5 phonemes: /M-AE-TH-Y-UW/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.
Nicknames
Common affectionate forms of Matthew — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.
The six signals, applied to Matthew
NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Matthew maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.
Names similar to Matthew
If Matthew resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Christian boy names, common in American families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Christian boy names from the Divine cluster
Names that sound similar
Christian boy names that open with the same syllables as Matthew
Common questions about Matthew
What does the name Matthew mean?
Matthew means "Gift of God, the tax collector who left everything to follow Christ — Matthew was a publican sitting at his booth when Jesus called him with two words: follow me. He abandoned his ledgers and his livelihood and became the evangelist whose gospel opens the New Testament. His name carries the possibility of sudden, total transformation and the grace that finds unlikely saints in the most despised professions." It is a boy name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Christian families.
Is Matthew a boy or girl name?
Matthew is most commonly used as a boy name.
What is the origin of the name Matthew?
Matthew is of Hebrew origin, used in Christian, Jewish traditions, commonly among American, European, MiddleEastern families.
What are common nicknames for Matthew?
Common short forms of Matthew include Matt, Matty.
What is the numerology of Matthew?
Matthew has a Pythagorean destiny number of 9 — compassion and humanitarian service.
See how Matthew scores for your family
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