Mattie
Masculine
Mattie is given to girls far more often — 133,079 girls against 780 boys since 1880. See Mattie as a girl name
Mattie is recorded for boys and girls alike, which fits, because it can shorten at least three unrelated names. One of them lends its name to the most famous Australian song there is, where it does not refer to a person at all.
How old is the name Mattie?
Mattie was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Mattie alive today was born around 1925, making them about 100 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Mattie are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Mattie most popular?
Mattie peaked in 1889, reaching #581 nationally. See the whole 1889 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Mattie
In Australian swagman's slang a matilda was a bundle of bedding and belongings carried on the back, and to waltz matilda was to walk the roads carrying it, looking for work. The origin of the term is argued over, with German soldiers' slang among the suggestions, but the meaning in the song is not in doubt: the man in it is a homeless itinerant, he steals a sheep, and when the police arrive he drowns himself rather than be taken. It is an odd national song, and generations of people abroad have sung it cheerfully under the impression that Matilda is a girl he is dancing with. She is a swag.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Matilda, Martha and Matthew are all possible parents and they are unrelated to each other, with quite different meanings. The record holds this spelling on its own and does not say which, which is the normal situation for short forms.
Pronouncing Mattie
MAT-ee
Two syllables with the stress in front. There is nothing in it to get wrong.
Nicknames for Mattie
Limited
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 192837 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #581reached in 1889
- Change vs 1964
- 0.0%5 in 1967, from 5
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.
Matties among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Mattie are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Mattie sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is warm and instantly understood, which very few names manage on a first hearing.
- Six letters and two syllables, never misspelled after one telling.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it does not force a reading on anyone.
- It reads as a short form to most people, so formal settings will keep asking what it stands for.
- Maddie and Mattie are close enough in American speech to be confused constantly.
- In America it belongs to an older generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
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Mattie
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Matties are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Mattie are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Mattie in 2025?
- Mattie is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Mattie with classmates?
- Mattie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Michael#21 · Matthew#32 · Mark#244 · Mason#39 · Martin#335 · Marvin#699 · Melvin#958 · Marcus#258
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mattie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mattie and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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