| Matthew | Michael | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of Yahweh | Who is like God? |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MATH-yoo | MY-kul |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1983 (50,209) | 1957 (92,781) |
| In 2025 | 7,003 | 8,094 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Matthew | Michael |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 44,052 | 52,631 |
| 2010s | 125,101 | 145,220 |
| 2000s | 221,631 | 250,715 |
| 1990s | 351,682 | 462,466 |
| 1980s | 458,951 | 663,807 |
| 1970s | 277,727 | 707,327 |
| 1960s | 105,938 | 833,092 |
| 1950s | 35,796 | 837,471 |
| 1940s | 8,760 | 336,568 |
| 1930s | 6,255 | 56,001 |
| 1920s | 8,566 | 37,893 |
| 1910s | 6,228 | 30,858 |
| 1900s | 1,188 | 5,220 |
| 1890s | 1,132 | 3,926 |
| 1880s | 1,068 | 3,558 |
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.
Michael comes from the Hebrew rhetorical question mi-ka-el, “Who is like God?” Michael is named in scripture as an archangel, and the name has been a perennial favourite for boys across the Christian world.
Michael is more popular than Matthew today: about 8,094 US babies were given the name Michael in 2025, compared with 7,003 named Matthew.
Matthew means gift of Yahweh (hebrew origin), while Michael means Who is like God? (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Matthew first appears in 1880 and Michael in 1880, so Matthew has the longer recorded history.