Given name
Mads
“gift of God”·“a gift from God”
Mads is a form of Matthew. Interpretations include “gift of God” (Hebrew) and “a gift from God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mads is a form of Matthew. Interpretations include “gift of God” (Hebrew) and “a gift from God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Mads is a form of Matthew. An origin associated with Matthew is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Danish use, Mads is used as a form of Matthew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2011. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mads through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 254
- 254 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 30 babies
- 2025
- 28
- #3,912 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +71%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 28 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,912 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 70.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 296 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mads’s family of names
In Danish usage, Mads shares a linguistic root with the English form Matthew. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Mads has a related form in Mats. Mads is a form of Matthew.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mads has relatives in 7 languages.
7 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mads
- Mads MikkelsenDanish actor (born 1965)
- Mads PedersenDanish cyclist, born 1995
- Mads HermansenDanish association football player (born 2000)
- Mads Mensah LarsenDanish handball playerborn 1991
- Mads ØstbergNorwegian rally driverborn 1987
- Mads ChristiansenDanish handball playerborn 1986
- Mads RasmussenDanish rowerborn 1981
- Mads BidstrupDanish association football playerborn 2001
- Mads ValentinDanish association football player (1996-)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mads, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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