| Matthias | Xander | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of Yahweh | Defender of the people |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | mə-THY-əs | ZAN-der |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1990 |
| Peak year | 2025 (854) | 2017 (2,414) |
| In 2025 | 854 | 1,335 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Matthias | Xander |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,176 | 10,693 |
| 2010s | 5,144 | 19,317 |
| 2000s | 2,056 | 9,909 |
| 1990s | 825 | 362 |
| 1980s | 527 | 0 |
| 1970s | 258 | 0 |
| 1960s | 179 | 0 |
| 1950s | 80 | 0 |
| 1940s | 69 | 0 |
| 1930s | 64 | 0 |
| 1920s | 118 | 0 |
| 1910s | 142 | 0 |
| 1890s | 15 | 0 |
| 1880s | 23 | 0 |
Greek form of the Hebrew name Mattithiah/Mattathias, from mattath 'gift' + yah (Yahweh), i.e. 'gift of God'. A cognate of Matthew rather than a separate meaning.
Xander is a short form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
Xander is more popular than Matthias today: about 1,335 US babies were given the name Xander in 2025, compared with 854 named Matthias.
Matthias means gift of Yahweh (greek origin), while Xander means Defender of the people (Greek origin).
In US records, Matthias first appears in 1880 and Xander in 1990, so Matthias has the longer recorded history.