Mat
Matt or Mat is a male given name, often used as a nickname for Matthew. Less commonly, it is used as a surname.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Mat
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Matt or Mat is a male given name, often used as a nickname for Matthew. Less commonly, it is used as a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Mat
Mat first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 16 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1917: 21 births, good for #1,587 nationwide. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2010 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 789 Mats have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Mat
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mat. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Mat
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mat is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mat
What does the name Mat mean?
What is the origin of the name Mat?
How popular is Mat in 2026?
When was Mat most popular?
In which U.S. states is Mat most popular?
Is Mat a unisex name?
What names go well with Mat?
What are nicknames or variants of Mat?
About the name Mat
Mat is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 789 births in the dataset. Mat's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #1,587. Use the chart and map above to compare Mat's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1917 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.