| Matthew | Thomas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Gift of God | Twin |
| Origin | Hebrew | Aramaic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MATH-yoo | TOM-us |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1983 (50,209) | 1952 (48,647) |
| In 2025 | 7,003 | 6,917 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Matthew | Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 44,052 | 39,782 |
| 2010s | 125,101 | 70,027 |
| 2000s | 221,631 | 102,106 |
| 1990s | 351,682 | 146,638 |
| 1980s | 458,951 | 177,817 |
| 1970s | 277,727 | 186,739 |
| 1960s | 105,938 | 327,055 |
| 1950s | 35,796 | 454,385 |
| 1940s | 8,760 | 350,775 |
| 1930s | 6,255 | 183,878 |
| 1920s | 8,566 | 161,107 |
| 1910s | 6,228 | 91,619 |
| 1900s | 1,188 | 21,783 |
| 1890s | 1,132 | 21,115 |
| 1880s | 1,068 | 23,750 |
Matthew comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu, “gift of Yahweh.” Matthew the apostle, a former tax collector, is credited with the first Gospel.
Thomas comes from an Aramaic word meaning “twin.” The apostle Thomas is remembered as “doubting Thomas” for wanting proof of the Resurrection.
Matthew is more popular than Thomas today: about 7,003 US babies were given the name Matthew in 2025, compared with 6,917 named Thomas.
Matthew means Gift of God (Hebrew origin), while Thomas means Twin (Aramaic origin).
In US records, Matthew first appears in 1880 and Thomas in 1880, so Matthew has the longer recorded history.