Matan
Masculine · “gift”
Matan is the Hebrew word for a gift, and modern Israeli naming took it directly — the noun itself rather than a compound about who gave it.
How old is the name Matan?
Matan first appears in US birth records in 1985 — 40 years ago. The typical Matan alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 900 people named Matan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Matan most popular?
Matan peaked in 1999, reaching #2665 nationally. Today it ranks #3949, 1,284 places below that high. See the whole 1999 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Matan
Biblical naming built gift compounds — Mattityahu, which becomes Matthew, and Nethanel, which becomes Nathaniel — and modern Israeli naming stripped the divine element and used the noun alone, as it did with a great many words. Matan has been well used in Israel since the 1970s and reaches American records with Israeli families.
Meaning
gift
From Hebrew natan, to give; matan is the noun for the giving or the gift. Mattaniah and Mattityahu are compounds meaning gift of the Lord, and Matan is the bare word without the divine element.
Pronouncing Matan
mah-TAHN
Two syllables with the stress on the second. English speakers often say MAT-an.
Nicknames for Matan
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1985
- Most boys named
- 201837 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2665reached in 1999
- Change vs 2024
- +8.0%27 in 2025, from 25
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Matan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Matan in Hebrew — same name
- Matthew in English — related form
- Mattityahu in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California, New Jersey.
Matans among us
people named Matan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 63,262 born in 2025 was named Matan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Tobiah test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Matan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Tobiah climbed just as high around 1977, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Tobiah's path sketches the road Matan is walking now.
Matan sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Matan is headed
Matan should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Matan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Matan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that is a single plain word.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- Mat is a plain short form that works everywhere.
- The stress moves to the front in English mouths.
- It is close to Matthew and Nathan in an American ear.
- It is clearly marked as an Israeli name, which is the intention in the families that use it.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Matan
Masculine · #3949 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Matans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Matan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Matan in 2025?
- Matan ranks #3949 among US boy names in 2025, with 27 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Matan?
- About 1 in every 63,262 US boys born in 2025 was named Matan — 27 in all.
- Will my child share the name Matan with classmates?
- Matan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Matan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stewart#3949 · Tillman#3949 · Ashley#3949 · Alfonzo#3949 · Blane#3949 · Brayton#3949 · Omega#3949 · Rufus#3949
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Matan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Matan and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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