| Mateo | Angel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Angel, messenger |
| Origin | spanish | Spanish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ma-TEH-o | AHN-hel |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1904 | 1888 |
| Peak year | 2024 (11,349) | 2006 (11,602) |
| In 2025 | 11,045 | 4,757 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Mateo | Angel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 62,272 | 28,990 |
| 2010s | 50,604 | 62,959 |
| 2000s | 10,490 | 94,334 |
| 1990s | 2,010 | 36,990 |
| 1980s | 370 | 15,798 |
| 1970s | 285 | 11,178 |
| 1960s | 102 | 7,404 |
| 1950s | 116 | 4,224 |
| 1940s | 112 | 1,377 |
| 1930s | 102 | 1,088 |
| 1920s | 162 | 1,089 |
| 1910s | 63 | 391 |
| 1900s | 5 | 34 |
| 1890s | 0 | 22 |
| 1880s | 0 | 8 |
The Spanish form of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning 'gift of Yahweh' (mattan 'gift' + Yah, a name of God). It reached Spanish through the Greek Matthaios and Latin Matthaeus, the name of the apostle and gospel-writer.
Angel comes from the Greek angelos, “messenger,” and the Latin angelus. It is common for boys in Spanish-speaking cultures (Ángel) and used for girls in English.
Mateo is more popular than Angel today: about 11,045 US babies were given the name Mateo in 2025, compared with 4,757 named Angel.
Mateo means gift of God (spanish origin), while Angel means Angel, messenger (Spanish origin).
In US records, Mateo first appears in 1904 and Angel in 1888, so Angel has the longer recorded history.