| Jonathan | Matthew | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Yahweh has given | gift of Yahweh |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JON-ə-thən | MATH-yoo |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1988 (24,349) | 1983 (50,209) |
| In 2025 | 3,822 | 7,003 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Jonathan | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 25,386 | 44,052 |
| 2010s | 79,888 | 125,101 |
| 2000s | 144,848 | 221,631 |
| 1990s | 197,503 | 351,682 |
| 1980s | 229,953 | 458,951 |
| 1970s | 107,926 | 277,727 |
| 1960s | 47,389 | 105,938 |
| 1950s | 25,816 | 35,796 |
| 1940s | 8,296 | 8,760 |
| 1930s | 1,663 | 6,255 |
| 1920s | 1,078 | 8,566 |
| 1910s | 660 | 6,228 |
| 1900s | 139 | 1,188 |
| 1890s | 129 | 1,132 |
| 1880s | 192 | 1,068 |
From Hebrew Yehonatan, combining yeho (a form of Yahweh) + natan 'to give' — 'Yahweh has given'. A 'gift of God' name framed as God's act of giving.
English form of the Hebrew name Mattityahu (Mattathias), from mattath 'gift' + yah, a short form of the divine name Yahweh. The structure is 'gift of God': 'gift' + the name of God.
Matthew is more popular than Jonathan today: about 7,003 US babies were given the name Matthew in 2025, compared with 3,822 named Jonathan.
Jonathan means Yahweh has given (hebrew origin), while Matthew means gift of Yahweh (hebrew origin).
In US records, Jonathan first appears in 1880 and Matthew in 1880, so Jonathan has the longer recorded history.