Matthias

About the Name Matthias

Matthias is the original Greek-Hebrew form of Matthew, descending through Greek Mattathias (Ματθίας) from the Hebrew Mattityahu meaning "gift of Yahweh" or "gift of God" (see separate entry on Mathias for additional detail). The biblical Matthias is the apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot among the Twelve Apostles after Judas's betrayal of Jesus and subsequent suicide (Acts 1:15–26).

Notable bearers include the iconic Holy Roman Emperor Matthias II (1557–1619, the Habsburg emperor who reigned over the Holy Roman Empire 1612–1619); American filmmaker Matthias Schoenaerts (born 1977, the Belgian actor); and the iconic German artist Matthias Grünewald (c. 1480–1528, the Renaissance painter of the Isenheim Altarpiece).

The two spellings (Matthias and Mathias) are tracked separately by SSA. Matthias's American climb is part of the broader 21st-century American taste for distinctive Old Testament-derived boys' names alongside Tobias, Elias, and Ezra. The name climbed from outside the US top 1000 in 2010 to the US top 300 boys' rank by 2018 and the top 300 since. The name has been driven primarily by Spanish-American, Scandinavian-American, and German-American naming. The name's appeal sits in three contemporary American naming preferences: the layered Hebrew-Greek-apostolic religious pedigree, the in-built distinctive apostolic religious anchor, and the popular three-syllable structure with the distinctive M-T-S consonant rhythm. Three flowing syllables, soft consonants, and tonal warmth distinctive to multi-cultural names. The name reads as both classical-religious and contemporary American. Common nicknames Matty (the dominant warm short form, casual and warm), Matt, Matti, and the rare Hias each carry distinct registers; the alternate spellings Matthias (the historical English spelling), Mathias (German/French/Scandinavian), Mateo, and Matías (Spanish, with accent) have their own SSA tracking. International forms include Matías (Spanish/Portuguese), Mattia (Italian), Matthieu (French), Mateusz (Polish), Mátyás (Hungarian), and the original Hebrew Mattityahu.