Gert vs Matthew
Gert 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 1988, Gert was ranked #635 and Matthew #273 among boys in Norway.
Gert and Matthew over time
Gert and Matthew appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Matthew held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Gert in 0.
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.
Gert reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Matthew in none. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Gert and Matthew changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1966 and 1988, ending at #635 and #273.
List by list
Norway · Boys13 shared years, 1966–1988
Gert held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Matthew in 7.
Highest recorded here: Gert #348 in 1970, Matthew #273 in 1988.
The order changed in 1980: Matthew moved ahead. In 1979 they stood at #501 and #513; by 1980 that had become #632 and #281.
Most recent shared year, 1988: Gert #635, Matthew #273.
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 | Gert | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmæθ.juː/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #635 (1988) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #55 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Matthew has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Gert does not have one recorded yet.
- Gert has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Matthew.
- A meaning is recorded for Matthew; Gert doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Gert
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #317 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–1988
Highest recorded position: #273 among boys in Norway, in 1948 (recorded 1945–1988).
Norway · Boys
Most recent1988
Most recently recorded at #635 among boys in Norway, in 1988.
Norway · 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