Matthew vs Thanh
Matthew and Thanhcompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2011, Matthew was ranked #43 and Thanh #4647 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 1997, Matthew was ranked #582 and Thanh #483 among boys in Norway.
Matthew and Thanh over time
Matthew and Thanh appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Matthew held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Thanh 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.
Thanh 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
Matthew and Thanh changed places 9 times in Norway · Boys between 1966 and 1997, ending at #582 and #483.
List by list
Norway · Boys27 shared years, 1966–1997
Matthew held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Thanh in 7.
Highest recorded here: Matthew #267 in 1985, Thanh #333 in 1972.
The order changed in 1997: Thanh moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #460 and #609; by 1997 that had become #582 and #483.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Matthew #582, Thanh #483.
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 | Matthew | Thanh |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæθ.juː/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #55 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5691 (2014) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Matthew has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Thanh does not have one recorded yet.
- Matthew has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Thanh.
- A meaning is recorded for Matthew; Thanh doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
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
Thanh
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #433 among girls in Norway in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–2003
Highest recorded position: #329 among girls in Norway, in 1979 (recorded 1954–2003).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2014
Most recently recorded at #5691 among girls in England and Wales, in 2014.
England and Wales · Girls