Matei

♂ Boy

Pronounced mah-TAY /mɑˈteɪ/Medium

Meaning: Romanian form of Matthew — from Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of God; gift of Yahweh'Medium

In 30 seconds: Gift of God: Matei is the Romanian Matthew — 'gift of God'. Crisp, classic, and warm (said 'mah-TAY').

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Origin MediumHebrew, Romanian

MeaningRomanian form of Matthew — from Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of God; gift of Yahweh'

U.S. rank (2024)#5353 ↗ Rising

2024 U.S. births18 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2019

Total births (all-time)≈ 268

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Matei is the Romanian form of Matthew — from Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of God; gift of Yahweh' (the apostle and Gospel-writer Matthew). A crisp, classic name across Romania and Moldova (the Renaissance king Matthias Corvinus is Matei Corvin in Romanian; said 'mah-TAY').

In the U.S. it appears in Romanian families. Rare, gift-of-God at the root, and classic.

Did you know? Matthew means 'gift of God; gift of Yahweh' in Hebrew (the apostle and evangelist) — Matei is the Romanian form, crisp and classic (King Matthias Corvinus, Matei in Romanian; said 'mah-TAY').

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name — Matei — etymology

Variations

MatthewMateoMatteo

Nicknames

Mati

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Matei…

Mateo— the Spanish form

Matteo— the Italian form

Matthias— a fellow Matthew form

Andrei— a fellow Romanian choice

Mikko— the same biblical feel

Explore names like Matei

By themehebrew biblical romanian

By meaningGod / Divine Gift / Blessing

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Matei mean?

Matei is the Romanian Matthew — Hebrew 'gift of God; gift of Yahweh'.

How do you pronounce Matei?

It's said mah-TAY /mɑˈteɪ/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Matei a boy or girl name?

Matei is a boy's name.

How popular is Matei?

Matei is a rare name in the U.S.