Adam vs Matthew
Adam and Matthewcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #15 and Matthew #421 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Matthew #55 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Matthew #149 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Matthew #42 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Matthew #73 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #65 and Matthew #85 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Matthew #99 among boys in New Zealand.
Adam and Matthew over time
Adam and Matthew appear together in 6 published lists, across 286 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Matthew in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Adam moved into the top 50 at #41 in 2015 as Matthew fell out of it to #52, having been #42 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2009, Adam moved ahead of Matthew in England and Wales · Boys — #32 and #28 the year before became #34 and #38.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Adam and Matthew averaged 26.3 places apart, ending at #35 and #149.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Matthew were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 63 years, from 1961 to 2023, ending at #65 and #85.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Adam #16 in 1996, Matthew #6 in 1996.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys63 shared years, 1961–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Matthew in 54.
Highest recorded here: Adam #7 in 1979, Matthew #1 in 1982.
The order changed in 2015: Adam moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #44 and #42; by 2015 that had become #41 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #65, Matthew #85.
Republic of Ireland · Boys61 shared years, 1965–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Matthew in 23.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Matthew #15 in 2007.
The order changed in 1989: Adam moved ahead. In 1988 they stood at #55 and #49; by 1989 that had become #56 and #58.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Matthew #55.
New Zealand · Boys58 shared years, 1965–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Matthew in 55.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Matthew #1 in 1990.
The order changed in 2020: Adam moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #78 and #69; by 2020 that had become #86 and #100.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Matthew #99.
Norway · Boys47 shared years, 1966–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Matthew in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Matthew #267 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #15, Matthew #421.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Matthew in 13.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Matthew #6 in 1996.
The order changed in 2009: Adam moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #32 and #28; by 2009 that had become #34 and #38.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Matthew #149.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Matthew in 25.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Matthew #1 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Matthew #42.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Adam | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | From Greek Matthaios, from Hebrew Mattithiah, combining 'mattat' (gift) with 'Yahweh' — 'gift of God'. Matthew was a tax collector and one of the twelve apostles, traditionally credited as author of the first Gospel. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | /ˈmæθ.juː/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #55 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Both Adam and Matthew share a recorded Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Adam and Matthew both have 2 syllables.
- Adam's recorded meaning differs from Matthew's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Matthew
Popularity journey
First recorded1957
First recorded at #78 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1957–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1982 (recorded 1957–2023).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #55 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys