Five bucks says you know someone named Matthew.  Heck, we’d be willing to wager $50.

The name has been in steady use throughout history.  It’s been a Top 100 choice since 1956, and has been a Top 10 name since 1974.  With the possible exceptions of James, John, Joseph and William, Matthew is about as classic at it gets.

So perhaps you’re looking for something just a smidge different.  In that case, we direct you to Matthias.  The Catholic Church recognizes St. Matthias the Apostle today.  No, he wasn’t one of the original twelve – instead, he was voted into the club after Judas Iscariot was voted out.  I think we all know that story.

Matthias himself was a substitute, and his name might well make a better choice for style-savvy parents than Matthew.

Besides the saint, this name has been worn by a King (of Hungary), a heroic mouse (in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques), and a number of politicians, artists, musicians and athletes, most of them German.  Factor in the one-t spelling, Mathias, and we get a smattering of notable Scandinavians and a rural community called Mathias, located on the Lost River in West Virginia.

Let’s just say that the name has sufficient history and familiarity to be recognized, but is not nearly as overexposed as the more familiar Matthew.  In fact, Matthias stood at a mere #816 in the Top 1000 for 2007, while Mathias ranked #779.  Together, that totals just 534 births in the entire year – uncommon enough to suit most parents.

Of course, the possible drawback to a name like this is that the logical nickname, Matt, is quite well-worn.  If that gives you pause, consider instead the Italian Matteo, with the distinctive short form Teo.

Then again, if you and your partner disagree about the wisdom of using a less popular boys’ name for your son, an option like Matthias is a neat compromise – unusual and seldom-heard in its long form, but friendly and familiar in every day use as a nickname.