Given name & surname
Matthews
“the son of Matthew”
Matthews is a variant of Matheson. One English interpretation is “the son of Matthew.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Matthews is a variant of Matheson. One English interpretation is “the son of Matthew.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Matthews is a variant of Matheson. An origin associated with Matheson is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Matthews through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,605
- 1,605 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1988
- 41 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #8,024 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +30%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,024 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 30.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 41 in 1988. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 816 as a first name in 2020; 126,328 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Matthews’s family of names
Matthews has a related form in Matheson. In English usage, Matthews as a surname has a related form in Matt.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Matthews, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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