Fun Facts About the Name Matt
- More than 23 thousand babies named Matt: U.S. records list 23,895 babies given the name Matt from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Matt - about 1 girl for every 4,778 boys.
What Does the Name Matt Mean?
Matt is an English short form of Matthew. Matthew derives from the Greek Matthaios (Ματθαῖος), which comes from the Hebrew name Matityahu (מַתִּתְיָהוּ). That Hebrew name is usually understood as a compound of matat, "gift," and Yah, a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh. Taken literally, the meaning is "gift of Yahweh"; the customary English rendering is "gift of God" or "gift of the Lord."
Matt is also used as a short form of Matthias, a New Testament name that likewise traces back through Greek to the same Hebrew root, so the core meaning is the same.
Matt Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Matityahu appears in the Hebrew Bible; a Levite named Matityahu is mentioned in 1 Chronicles, and the closely related form Mattanyah (Mattaniah) also occurs there. In the Second Temple period the name belonged to the priest Mattathias, father of Judas Maccabeus, who is described in the Books of Maccabees as leading the resistance that began the Maccabean revolt.
The Greek form Matthaios is used in the New Testament for the apostle Matthew, the tax collector traditionally associated with the first Gospel. Through Latin Matthaeus, the name passed into Old English as Matheus and then into Middle English as Matthew, the form that became standard in English.
Matt began as a familiar spoken shortening of Matthew and later Matthias, and over time it came to be used as a given name in its own right rather than only as a nickname. The same shortening pattern appears in other European languages, such as Matteo in Italian and Matthieu in French, though the clipped form Matt is specifically English.
How Popular is the Name Matt?
Matt recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1959. Its best rank was #230 in 1884.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | #9,099 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,818 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2024 | #2,810 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2023 | #2,785 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2022 | #3,444 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2021 | #3,218 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2020 | #3,110 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2019 | #3,086 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #2,871 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2017 | #1,994 | 72 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #2,268 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2015 | #2,318 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2014 | #2,224 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 2013 | #2,583 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2012 | #2,314 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 2011 | #2,726 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2010 | #2,456 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2009 | #2,221 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 2008 | #2,050 | 68 | 0.0033% |
| 2007 | #2,178 | 62 | 0.0030% |
| 2006 | #2,003 | 67 | 0.0033% |
| 2005 | #2,739 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 2004 | #2,441 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 2003 | #2,071 | 55 | 0.0028% |
| 2002 | #1,908 | 59 | 0.0030% |
| 2001 | #2,020 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 2000 | #2,116 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 1999 | #1,587 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 1998 | #1,807 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 1997 | #1,745 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #1,757 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 1995 | #1,771 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #1,447 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 1993 | #1,534 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 1992 | #1,206 | 87 | 0.0044% |
| 1991 | #1,220 | 83 | 0.0041% |
| 1990 | #1,125 | 92 | 0.0045% |
| 1989 | #1,000 | 105 | 0.0052% |
| 1988 | #787 | 145 | 0.0076% |
| 1987 | #801 | 135 | 0.0072% |
| 1986 | #708 | 163 | 0.0089% |
| 1985 | #687 | 167 | 0.0090% |
| 1984 | #648 | 178 | 0.0099% |
| 1983 | #561 | 226 | 0.0126% |
| 1982 | #618 | 197 | 0.0109% |
| 1981 | #608 | 198 | 0.0111% |
| 1980 | #558 | 237 | 0.0133% |
| 1979 | #531 | 255 | 0.0148% |
| 1978 | #541 | 234 | 0.0143% |
| 1977 | #470 | 293 | 0.0178% |
| 1976 | #422 | 340 | 0.0217% |
| 1975 | #387 | 409 | 0.0262% |
| 1974 | #387 | 400 | 0.0254% |
| 1973 | #339 | 502 | 0.0322% |
| 1972 | #312 | 588 | 0.0363% |
| 1971 | #266 | 805 | 0.0455% |
| 1970 | #285 | 739 | 0.0398% |
| 1969 | #263 | 799 | 0.0447% |
| 1968 | #258 | 782 | 0.0450% |
| 1967 | #275 | 707 | 0.0405% |
| 1966 | #271 | 727 | 0.0408% |
| 1965 | #260 | 800 | 0.0430% |
| 1964 | #258 | 882 | 0.0443% |
| 1963 | #253 | 906 | 0.0446% |
| 1962 | #261 | 857 | 0.0414% |
| 1961 | #266 | 888 | 0.0418% |
| 1960 | #269 | 878 | 0.0412% |
| 1959 | #256 | 975 | 0.0457% |
| 1958 | #258 | 907 | 0.0427% |
| 1957 | #321 | 569 | 0.0264% |
| 1956 | #392 | 371 | 0.0175% |
| 1955 | #523 | 196 | 0.0095% |
| 1954 | #629 | 139 | 0.0068% |
| 1953 | #692 | 108 | 0.0055% |
| 1952 | #788 | 80 | 0.0041% |
| 1951 | #725 | 92 | 0.0049% |
| 1950 | #787 | 76 | 0.0042% |
| 1949 | #785 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 1948 | #721 | 87 | 0.0050% |
| 1947 | #782 | 78 | 0.0043% |
| 1946 | #764 | 76 | 0.0047% |
| 1945 | #804 | 60 | 0.0045% |
| 1944 | #806 | 61 | 0.0045% |
| 1943 | #833 | 63 | 0.0044% |
| 1942 | #745 | 74 | 0.0054% |
| 1941 | #852 | 55 | 0.0045% |
| 1940 | #765 | 66 | 0.0057% |
| 1939 | #840 | 53 | 0.0048% |
| 1938 | #824 | 57 | 0.0051% |
| 1937 | #889 | 49 | 0.0046% |
| 1936 | #743 | 66 | 0.0064% |
| 1935 | #810 | 59 | 0.0057% |
| 1934 | #804 | 60 | 0.0058% |
| 1933 | #840 | 55 | 0.0055% |
| 1932 | #839 | 58 | 0.0056% |
| 1931 | #821 | 59 | 0.0057% |
| 1930 | #762 | 71 | 0.0065% |
| 1929 | #804 | 65 | 0.0060% |
| 1928 | #803 | 67 | 0.0060% |
| 1927 | #773 | 73 | 0.0065% |
| 1926 | #743 | 75 | 0.0068% |
| 1925 | #693 | 87 | 0.0078% |
| 1924 | #674 | 93 | 0.0082% |
| 1923 | #685 | 89 | 0.0081% |
| 1922 | #644 | 101 | 0.0093% |
| 1921 | #624 | 104 | 0.0094% |
| 1920 | #659 | 94 | 0.0088% |
| 1919 | #602 | 101 | 0.0103% |
| 1918 | #535 | 128 | 0.0126% |
| 1917 | #552 | 114 | 0.0123% |
| 1916 | #560 | 105 | 0.0118% |
| 1915 | #543 | 106 | 0.0125% |
| 1914 | #480 | 103 | 0.0157% |
| 1913 | #563 | 60 | 0.0117% |
| 1912 | #548 | 54 | 0.0126% |
| 1911 | #466 | 40 | 0.0177% |
| 1910 | #551 | 27 | 0.0139% |
| 1909 | #450 | 32 | 0.0195% |
| 1908 | #606 | 19 | 0.0123% |
| 1907 | #503 | 22 | 0.0150% |
| 1906 | #450 | 25 | 0.0188% |
| 1905 | #459 | 24 | 0.0181% |
| 1904 | #442 | 24 | 0.0187% |
| 1903 | #379 | 27 | 0.0226% |
| 1902 | #386 | 27 | 0.0220% |
| 1901 | #418 | 21 | 0.0197% |
| 1900 | #409 | 31 | 0.0206% |
| 1899 | #409 | 21 | 0.0198% |
| 1898 | #408 | 24 | 0.0196% |
| 1897 | #430 | 20 | 0.0177% |
| 1896 | #365 | 28 | 0.0234% |
| 1895 | #377 | 26 | 0.0221% |
| 1894 | #393 | 23 | 0.0199% |
| 1893 | #320 | 30 | 0.0267% |
| 1892 | #345 | 30 | 0.0246% |
| 1891 | #331 | 27 | 0.0267% |
| 1890 | #333 | 28 | 0.0252% |
| 1889 | #301 | 33 | 0.0298% |
| 1888 | #275 | 43 | 0.0356% |
| 1887 | #286 | 34 | 0.0335% |
| 1886 | #328 | 27 | 0.0244% |
| 1885 | #262 | 41 | 0.0380% |
| 1884 | #230 | 55 | 0.0481% |
| 1883 | #262 | 39 | 0.0373% |
| 1882 | #351 | 26 | 0.0229% |
| 1881 | #302 | 29 | 0.0288% |
| 1880 | #264 | 41 | 0.0371% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
