Daniel vs Matthew
Daniel 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Daniel was ranked #13 and Matthew #55 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #37 and Matthew #42 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2023, Daniel was ranked #49 and Matthew #421 among boys in Norway.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #52 and Matthew #73 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Daniel was ranked #53 and Matthew #99 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2023, Daniel was ranked #55 and Matthew #85 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Daniel was ranked #59 and Matthew #149 among boys in England and Wales.
Daniel and Matthew over time
Daniel and Matthew appear together in 6 published lists, across 298 years of shared records. Daniel held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Matthew in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Matthew reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Daniel 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2012, Daniel moved ahead of Matthew in Northern Ireland · Boys — #5 and #3 the year before became #3 and #7.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Daniel and Matthew changed places 8 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1957 and 2023, ending at #55 and #85.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Daniel and Matthew averaged 28.1 places apart, ending at #59 and #149.
- Longest-running competitions
Daniel and Matthew were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 67 years, from 1957 to 2023, ending at #55 and #85.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Daniel #2 in 1996, Matthew #6 in 1996.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys67 shared years, 1957–2023
Daniel held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Matthew in 35.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1979, Matthew #1 in 1982.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Daniel #55, Matthew #85.
New Zealand · Boys65 shared years, 1958–2023
Daniel held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Matthew in 27.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #1 in 1980, Matthew #1 in 1990.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Daniel #53, Matthew #99.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Daniel held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Matthew in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 2009, Matthew #15 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Daniel #13, Matthew #55.
Norway · Boys47 shared years, 1966–2023
Daniel held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Matthew in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #3 in 1989, Matthew #267 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Daniel #49, Matthew #421.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Daniel held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Matthew in 0.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 1996, Matthew #6 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #59, Matthew #149.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Daniel held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Matthew in 14.
Highest recorded here: Daniel #2 in 2010, Matthew #1 in 1997.
The order changed in 2012: Daniel moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #5 and #3; by 2012 that had become #3 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Daniel #37, 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 | Daniel | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'God is my judge', referencing the biblical prophet Daniel. | 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 | /ˈdænjəl/ | /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 #13 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #55 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Both Daniel and Matthew share a recorded Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Daniel and Matthew both have 2 syllables.
- Daniel'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
Daniel
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #280 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1954–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #64 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