Matthew (English)
Where does "Matthew" come from?
The name Matthew originates from the Aramaic name 'Mattay,' which is linked to the Hebrew 'Mattiṯyāhū,' meaning 'gift of the Lord.' It traveled into English through Ancient Greek, Latin, and Old French before settling into its modern form. This evolution preserves the name's ancient biblical roots, shared with its doublet, Mattathias.
Full etymology tree
- Matthew (English), 'A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.'
- inherited Matheu (Middle English)
- inherited Mathieu (Old French)
- inherited Matthaeus (Latin), 'a male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin'
- learned borrowing Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Aramaic, equivalent to English Matthew (disciple of Jesus in Christianity)'
- learned borrowing מַתַּי (mattay) (Aramaic), 'Matthew'
- inherited מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Mattiṯyāhū) (Hebrew), 'a male given name, Matityahu or Matisyahu, equivalent to English Mattathias or Matthew'
- learned borrowing מַתַּי (mattay) (Aramaic), 'Matthew'
- learned borrowing Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos) (Ancient Greek), 'a male given name from Aramaic, equivalent to English Matthew (disciple of Jesus in Christianity)'
- inherited Matthaeus (Latin), 'a male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin'
- inherited Mathieu (Old French)
- inherited Matheu (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris