Matthew
Pronunciation/ˈmæθ.juː/
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameHebrew
Meaning"Gift of God"[1]
Other names
Alternative spellingMathew
Nickname(s)Matt, Matty
Popularitysee popular names

Matthew is an English language male given name. It ultimately derives from the Hebrew name "מַתִּתְיָהוּ‎" (Matityahu) which means "Gift of God".

Etymology

The Hebrew name מַתִּתְיָהוּ‎ (Matityahu) was transliterated into Greek as Ματταθίας (Mattathias).[2] It was subsequently shortened to Ματθαῖος (Matthaios); this was Latinised as Matthaeus, which became Matthew in English. The popularity of the name is due to Matthew the Apostle who, in Christian tradition, is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the author of the Gospel of Matthew.[3][4][5]

Maiú and Maidiú were both a borrowing of the name Matthew among the Anglo-Normans settlers in Ireland.[6] Maitiú is the most common Irish form of the name.[7][8] Matthew is also used as an anglicisation of the Irish name Mathúin (meaning 'bear').[9][8]

Popularity

The name Matthew became popular during the Middle Ages in Northwest Europe, and has been very common throughout the English-speaking world.[10]

In Ireland, Matthew was ranked the 10th most popular male name in 2007. In 2008, it was ranked 15th, falling to 20th between 2009-2010, and then 24th between 2011-2012.[11] In 2016, it was the 30th most popular male name in Ireland, rising to 26th in 2017.[12][13]

In the United Kingdom, Matthew has been among the 10 most popular male names. Matthew has been in the top 2,000 most popular male names in Australia, Canada and United States.

List of people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Robert Horton Gundry (1994). Matthew: A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church Under Persecution. p. 166. ISBN 9780802807359.
  2. ↑ Luke 3:25–26
  3. ↑ "Matthew - Meaning and Origin of the name Matthew". BabyNames.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Gospel of Matthew (Authorship and Sources)
  5. ↑ The Lives (Matthew)
  6. ↑ Ó Corráin, Donnchadh; Maguire, Fidelma (1981). Gaelic Personal Names. p. 133.
  7. ↑ "MAITIÚ - Irish Names and Surnames". Library Ireland. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 Woulfe, Patrick (1923). Irish Names and Surnames.
  9. ↑ "MATHGHAMHAIN - Irish Names and Surnames". Library Ireland. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 188–189, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  11. ↑ "Irish Babies' Names 2012". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Irish Babies' Names 2017". The Central Statistics Office (CSO). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Here's what the most popular baby names were in Ireland last year". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
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