| Matthew | Daniel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of Yahweh | God is my judge |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MATH-yoo | DAN-yul |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1983 (50,209) | 1985 (38,559) |
| In 2025 | 7,003 | 8,085 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Matthew | Daniel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 44,052 | 52,726 |
| 2010s | 125,101 | 133,952 |
| 2000s | 221,631 | 203,975 |
| 1990s | 351,682 | 272,360 |
| 1980s | 458,951 | 345,537 |
| 1970s | 277,727 | 244,454 |
| 1960s | 105,938 | 242,020 |
| 1950s | 35,796 | 243,727 |
| 1940s | 8,760 | 112,778 |
| 1930s | 6,255 | 47,998 |
| 1920s | 8,566 | 43,407 |
| 1910s | 6,228 | 23,978 |
| 1900s | 1,188 | 5,036 |
| 1890s | 1,132 | 5,185 |
| 1880s | 1,068 | 5,679 |
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.
Daniel is Hebrew for “God is my judge.” In the Bible, the prophet Daniel famously survived a night in the lions’ den.
Daniel is more popular than Matthew today: about 8,085 US babies were given the name Daniel in 2025, compared with 7,003 named Matthew.
Matthew means gift of Yahweh (hebrew origin), while Daniel means God is my judge (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Matthew first appears in 1880 and Daniel in 1880, so Matthew has the longer recorded history.