Boys' name · since 1882
Matthews
Matthews has 1,605 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1988 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,782 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,694 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,605
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Matthews currently ranks #7694 among boys' names in America, with 1,605 babies recorded since 1882.
Social Security Administration records show Matthews recorded 1,605 times among boys since 1882, holding rank #7694 nationally today, ahead of 45% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #3,782 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,694 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,605 born since 1882
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Matthews ranks #3,782 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,694 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,605 born since 1882, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3,782 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,694 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,605
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Matthews's 1,605 recorded births place it above 91.68% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Louisiana.
How Matthews compares
1,605 Top 25% higher than 75% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Matthews's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Matthews | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,605 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 41 | 34 | 22,252 |
Matthews's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Matthews splits its recorded history at 1966: 62% of all births land in the more recent half, 38% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1882 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1988 peak of 41 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Matthews popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1988)
- 41
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Matthews by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (269 births, 17% of the file).
1980s was Matthews's strongest decade.
269 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Matthews births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 16
1900s
16 births
- 1910s 89
1910s
89 births
- 1920s
1920s
126 births
- 1930s 82
1930s
82 births
- 1940s 104
1940s
104 births
- 1950s
1950s
121 births
- 1960s
1960s
120 births
- 1970s
1970s
141 births
- 1980s
1980s
269 births
- 1990s
1990s
176 births
- 2000s
2000s
175 births
- 2010s 97
2010s
97 births
- 2020s 79
2020s
79 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 269 births (17% of all-time use).
How Matthews compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Matthews's total volume
Matthews by state
Where Matthews concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 59 | 3.7% |
| #2 | California | | 10 | 0.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 10 | 0.6% |
| #4 | South Carolina | | 10 | 0.6% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 7 | 0.4% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Texas | | 5 | 0.3% |
59 of 1,605 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Matthews? ▼
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What to do with Matthews's data
- Matthews's decade-level peak was the 1980s (269 total births); usage has since declined to 79 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Matthewss (59 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Matthews
Nearby Names Like Matthews
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Matthews
Compare Matthews side by side: Matthews vs Matthew Matthews vs Mateo Matthews vs Mathew
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Matthews
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Matthews: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1988)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Matthews draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.