UK boy's name
Matthias
A masculine given name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Matthias is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Matthias popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #453, with 89 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 115 births.
This profile covers 1,142 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,146 living people in the UK are called Matthias. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Matthias ranked #453 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 89 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 115 boys were registered as Matthias.
- • Matthias ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #352 in 2022.
- • About 1,146 living people in the UK are estimated to have Matthias as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#453
2024
Births in 2024
89
Latest year
Peak year
2022
115 births
Estimated living
1,146
2026
Meaning
What does Matthias mean?
The given name Matthias has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew name Mattathyahu, which itself originated from the Hebrew words "mattat" meaning "gift" and "Yah" referring to the Hebrew God. The name can be translated to mean "gift of God" or "gift from God".
The earliest recorded use of the name Matthias dates back to the 1st century AD in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Acts, Matthias was chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot after Judas betrayed Jesus Christ and committed suicide. This account makes Matthias one of the earliest individuals referenced by this name.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Matthias. One of the earliest was Matthias the Apostle, who lived in the 1st century AD and was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Another early Matthias of significance was Matthias the Monk, a 6th-century Byzantine monk and author of the first biography of St. Nicholas.
In the medieval period, Matthias Corvinus (1443-1490) was an influential King of Hungary and Croatia who presided over a golden age of Renaissance culture and learning in his kingdom. Matthias Grünewald (c. 1470-1528) was a renowned German Renaissance painter known for his altarpiece masterpieces, including the Isenheim Altarpiece.
During the Reformation era, Matthias Flacius Illyricus (1520-1575) was a prominent Croatian Protestant Reformer and scholar who made significant contributions to the Lutheran movement. Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) was a German poet and writer of the Enlightenment period, best known for his lyrical nature poetry.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the given name Matthias, which has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and carries the meaning of "gift of God".
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Matthias over time
The chart below shows babies named Matthias registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Matthias, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 89 births in 2024, compared with 115 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Matthias by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Matthias was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #429 | 482 | 5 |
| 2010s | #841 | 438 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1192 | 173 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1109 | 49 | 4 |
Geography
Where Matthias is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Matthias. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Matthias ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #352 in 2022.
Across the UK
Matthias in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#602 in 2017
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#352 in 2022
1 years of NISRA records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Matthias
-
Matthias Fanimo
association football player
Footballer (born 1994)
1994-
-
Matthias Kelly
judge; lawyer
Irish-British lawyer
1954-
-
Matthias Robinson
painter
British painter
1824-1902
-
Matthias Wolverley Attwood
politician
British politician
1808-1865
-
Matthias Dunn
mining engineer
British miner
1788-1869
-
Matthias Attwood
politician
British MP, 1779-1851
1779-1851
-
Matthias Prime Lucas
local politician
Lord Mayor of London, 1827-8.; British; (1761-1848}
1761-1848
-
Matthias Sention, Jr.
Connecticut settler (1628-1728)
1628-1728
Related
Names similar to Matthias
- Matthew 80,931
- Mohammed 74,321
- Muhammad 72,235
- Max 59,807
- Michael 47,075
- Mason 38,935
- Mohammad 25,910
- Morgan 15,994
- Muhammed 11,527
- Mark 11,336
- Marcus 11,257
- Maxwell 10,006
FAQ
Matthias: questions and answers
How popular is the name Matthias in the UK right now?
In 2024, Matthias was ranked #453 for boys in England and Wales, with 89 births registered.
When was Matthias most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 115 babies registered as Matthias in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Matthias?
A masculine given name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".
How many people are called Matthias in the UK?
A total of 1,142 babies have been registered as Matthias across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Matthias most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Matthias ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #352 in 2022. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.