Matthew comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu and means "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God". The apostle Matthew, a tax collector called by Jesus, is credited with the first Gospel, which has kept the name in constant use in the Christian world. Matthew was the third most popular boys' name in the United States in 2000 and stayed in the top 10 for most of that decade; it has since eased down to number 32 in 2025.