Head to head · Boys' names
Mateo vs William
#8 vs #9 in 2025
Mateo is a whisker ahead (#8 vs #9 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Mateo is climbing the charts fast, William is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Mateo and William each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Mateo —, William #2 — William higher
- 1890s: Mateo —, William #2 — William higher
- 1900s: Mateo #1205, William #2 — William higher
- 1910s: Mateo #2234, William #2 — William higher
- 1920s: Mateo #2126, William #3 — William higher
- 1930s: Mateo #2287, William #4 — William higher
- 1940s: Mateo #2272, William #4 — William higher
- 1950s: Mateo #2314, William #6 — William higher
- 1960s: Mateo #2246, William #7 — William higher
- 1970s: Mateo #1776, William #10 — William higher
- 1980s: Mateo #1771, William #15 — William higher
- 1990s: Mateo #1036, William #18 — William higher
- 2000s: Mateo #313, William #9 — William higher
- 2010s: Mateo #99, William #4 — William higher
- 2020s: Mateo #11, William #8 — William higher
William stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Mateo | William |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #2 |
| 1890s | — | #2 |
| 1900s | #1205 | #2 |
| 1910s | #2234 | #2 |
| 1920s | #2126 | #3 |
| 1930s | #2287 | #4 |
| 1940s | #2272 | #4 |
| 1950s | #2314 | #6 |
| 1960s | #2246 | #7 |
| 1970s | #1776 | #10 |
| 1980s | #1771 | #15 |
| 1990s | #1036 | #18 |
| 2000s | #313 | #9 |
| 2010s | #99 | #4 |
| 2020s | #11 | #8 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Mateo
- Canada#52
William
- Canada#5
- England & Wales#27
- Scotland#52
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Mateo
Gift of God
From Hebrew Mattityahu, combining a word for gift with the divine name Yah.
Mattityahu → Matthaios → Matthaeus → Mateo
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Mattityahu, borne by the tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles and whose name was attached to the first gospel. Greek writers rendered it Matthaios, Latin made it Matthaeus, and from there it spread with the Church across Europe, shedding syllables in each language it entered — Matthew in English, Matteo in Italian, Mateus in Portuguese, Mateo in Spanish.
William
will, desire + helmet, protection
From the Germanic elements wil (will, resolve) and helm (helmet, protection) — often glossed together as "resolute protector".
Willahelm → Wilhelm → Willelm → William
How it traveled
The name begins in continental Germanic as Willahelm and spread widely in Frankish and Old High German territory as Wilhelm. The Normans carried their own form of it into England in the eleventh century, where William the Conqueror's victory in 1066 made it instantly fashionable among the Anglo-Norman ruling class; within a few generations it was among the commonest men's names in England.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Mateo
mah-TAY-oh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. Some English speakers reduce the first vowel to muh-TAY-oh; both are heard and neither causes confusion.
- Teo — Common informal short form; also given on its own, where it usually comes from Teodoro or Teo directly.
- Mati — Informal, widespread in Spanish-speaking families; also serves Matías, so it can be shared between the two.
- Matt — The English short form, used when the name sits in an English-speaking setting; more often heard from Matthew.
- Mateíto — Spanish affectionate diminutive, used within families rather than in public or formal contexts.
William
WIL-yum
Stress on the first syllable. Two syllables in ordinary speech, sometimes drawn out to three (WIL-ee-um) in careful or formal delivery.
- Will — The most current short form, used informally and increasingly registered on its own.
- Liam — Originally the Irish short form of Uilliam; now overwhelmingly given as a full name in its own right rather than as a nickname for William.
- Bill — A long-standing informal form; strongly represented among older generations of Williams.
- Billy — Informal and affectionate, used for boys and men alike, and also given as a standalone name.
- Also Willie, Wills.
Who has carried each name
Mateo
Mateo Kovačić (b. 1994) — Champions League-winning midfielder
William
William Shakespeare (b. 1564) — The most famous writer who ever lived
William Blake (b. 1757) — Visionary poet and artist
William Butler Yeats (b. 1865) — Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Mateo if you want…
- a name on the way upup 12 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itMateo runs 3 syllables, William 2
- a newer arrivalMateo entered the US charts in 1904
- a name that feels very nowMateo is climbing the charts fast
Choose William if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsWilliam is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesWilliam is 2 syllables to Mateo's 3
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Will, Liam and Bill
- a name that charts abroad tooWilliam is on the national lists of Canada, England & Wales and Scotland
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Mateo
Strengths
- Recognizable in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English through its close cousins, so it travels between languages without translation.
- Spelled the way it sounds in both Spanish and English — a reader who has never seen it can usually say it.
- A documented line running from Hebrew through Greek and Latin to the modern Spanish form, unbroken for two millennia.
To consider
- Mateo and the Italian Matteo are constantly confused. Expect to spell it out, and to see the double-t version on forms and name tags.
- Many boys of this very young generation carry it, so a classroom may hold more than one. That fades as the wave moves through school.
- English speakers who know Matthew sometimes default to Matt, which loses the Spanish shape of the name if that matters to you.
William
Strengths
- Spelled and pronounced correctly on first hearing by virtually every English speaker, with no competing variant spellings to explain.
- An unbroken record in English since the eleventh century, and still given to babies now — long past the point where a name can date a person.
- Unusually rich in short forms: Will, Bill, Billy, Willie, Wills, each with real historical use, so the bearer has room to choose.
To consider
- It is genuinely common and always has been. Expect other Williams in the classroom, the workplace and quite possibly the extended family.
- You cannot fully control which short form sticks. Coaches, cousins and classmates may land on Bill, Billy or Willie regardless of what you use at home.
- Because it is so well established among older generations, many Williams alive today are grandfathers and great-grandfathers — lovely if you want that continuity, worth knowing if you don't.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Mateo
70%chance Mateo feels dated by 2040
Mateo is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
William
12%chance William feels dated by 2040
William has held the top-100 across 15 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Mateo and William in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Mateo and William?
Put both to the vote.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Mateo and William — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Mateo or William — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Mateo or William?
- Mateo, in 2025: Mateo ranked #8 with 11,045 babies; William ranked #9 with 10,545 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Mateo or William?
- Mateo. Over the last five years Mateo moved up 12 places; William moved down 4 places.
- Which is the older name, Mateo or William?
- Mateo entered the US charts in 1904; William was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, William is the older name.
- How many people are named Mateo and William?
- About 125,000 people named Mateo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 2,248,000 people named William are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Mateos or Williams in the classroom?
- Roughly 1 in 6 classrooms will have a child named Mateo. Roughly 1 in 6 classrooms will have a child named William.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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