The baby name Matteo or Mateo takes traditional Matthew in an on-trend, romance language direction.
Thanks to Marta for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME MATTEO MEAN?
Let’s begin with Matthew.
Saint Matthew was one of the twelve apostles, a witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, author of the New Testament’s Gospel of Matthew.
It’s a Hebrew name meaning “gift of God” or “gift of Yahweh.”
Strictly speaking, the original name was Mattithiah, mentioned a few times in the Old Testament. It led to the Greek Matthaios and Latin name Matthaeus.
The New Testament’s Matthew comes from those longer names. So do Matthias, Matias, and plenty of other international forms of the name.
Given the popularity of the apostles’ names, it’s not surprising some form of Matthew or Matteo appears in nearly every European language. The reach of Christianity in naming is considerable.
There’s the French Matthieu, Russian Matvei, Danish Mads, Spanish Mateo, and, of course, the Italian Matteo.
Matthew ranked in the US Top Ten from 1974 through 2007, a Biblical boy name with a long history of use.
The Italian form of Matthew has been a 21st century favorite. More about popularity in a minute.
FAMOUS PEOPLE
We can all name a famous Matthew, from actors like McConaughey and Damon to historical figures like Commodore Perry. Many of these figures answer to Matt rather than Matthew in full.
Matteo and Mateo offer every bit as much history. Notable bearers of the name Mateo or Matteo include:
- Matteo Visconti ruled Milan in the 1300s.
- In the sixteenth century, Matteo Ricci was one of the first Jesuit priests to serve in China.
- Field Marshal Mateo de Toro Zambrano became the first president of newly independent Chile in 1810.
The list goes on and on, with athletes, composers, artists, and more adding to the list over the centuries.
During the 2010s, Matteo Renzi served as prime minister of Italy.
ENDS WITH O
The baby name Matteo succeeds for its history and meaning, but also for its sound.
We love a good o ending boy name. Just ask Leo, Theo, Milo, or Arlo.
They make great crossover names, too. Spanish language favorites like Thiago, Leonardo, and Santiago all wear well in the US. Others of Italian origin include Enzo and Lorenzo, as well as Alessandro and Alessio, Marco, Giorgio, and Giacomo.
English-speaking countries have embraced many of these, including Matteo and Mateo.
ONE T or TWO?
On paper, the single T spelling is Spanish, while the TT version is reserved for Italian. It’s not necessarily that straightforward, and plenty of English-speaking families choose the name for all sorts of reasons.
Celebrities from Colin Firth to Ricky Martin have given the name to their sons, a mix of single-T and double-T spellings.
It’s worth noting that the single T spelling is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world, while while the double T Matteo is popular in Italy today.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MATTEO?
In recent years, romance language spellings of boy’s names have surged in popularity.
In the United States as of 2024:
- Mateo ranks a sky-high #7, far and away the most popular of the Mat names
- Matthew holds on at #33
- The double-T spelling Matteo ranks a respectable #138
- Matias comes in at #158
- Mathias follows, ranked #337
- Rounding out the US Top 1000 are Matthias at #47, Matheo at #856, and Mathew coming in at #939
Across gender lines, Mat names include Matilda, which might share nicknames like Mat and Mattie. Matea and Mattea are two more feminine forms, but neither ranks in the current US Top 1000.
Globally, Mateo is a among the most popular names in obvious places, like Argentina and Spain. But it’s also trending in Austria and Switzerland. In France, it outranks traditional Mathieu.
Also worth noting: Mateo might short to Teo, which is also given as an independent name and ranks in the US Top 1000. Similar names like Teodoro are also heard, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.
INTERNATIONAL FAVORITE
The baby name Matteo – with one T or two – bridges a gap between the traditional Matthew and 21st century favorites like Milo. It’s spans cultures effortlessly, a name that works equally well in Spanish and English, and would be recognized all over the world.
The only problem, of course, is that there are so very many boys with Matt names, many of them Mateo or Matteo already, that your son might have to share.
Would you consider the baby name Matteo for a son? Do you prefer it with one T or two?
First published on December 7, 2011, this post was revised on August 1, 2020 and September 11, 2025.
Matteo used to be one of my favorites, and I still really like it, but it’s been replaced by Matthias/Mattias– one of the only boys’ names I truly love. Teo is an adorable nickname, too.
I do like the softness of Mateo. I prefer the one ‘t’ spelling since I come from a Spanish background. It actually sounds a little feminine to me, maybe it’s the “Ma” sound that links to names like Matilda. It’s not a bad thing, though.
I like this, spelled Mateo only. Somehow adding the second “T” makes it too much like Matthew, a name I am not very fond of (though it’s nice). Go Tom Colicchio — Mateo Lev is a fantastic combination.
oh and I love Mads & Matvei! They rock.
Matteo is pretty cool. I think Teo or Tay are better nicknames than Matt; no offense to any Matts out there but imho it is beyond tired.
I do think it’s interesting that certain “ethnic” names get a pass as “international” while others, unfortunately, don’t seem to transcend. I’m looking at you, Hadassah. *sigh*
I love Matteo! It’s definitely distinctive, but not too out there. I love the nickname Teo (TAY-oh), instead of the tired Matt.
The first Matteo I met was our pastor’s young son. While neither parent can claim any Spanish or Italian heritage, their son’s name do “go” with the names of their daughters: Alethe@ and Keil@ni. It’s a nice name, as far as ends-with-o names go, and it suits both a child and an adult. However, I’ve known far too many Matthews, so Matteo already seems a little on the tired side.
I agree. Matteo is a perfectly nice name, it’s just that Matthew has been SOOOO popular for so long — Matteo feels a bit boring.
Teo isn’t boring, but I prefer it as a full name or short for Teodor.
Thanks for featuring Matteo! We chose it as a middle name for our baby Oliver born earlier this year. I wanted a name that reflected both my Spanish heritage and my husband’s Italian heritiage and Matteo fit that criteria perfectly. I do admit that I had a really difficult time deciding which spelling to go with since we have both Spanish and Italian roots. In the end the double T’s won out just because we thought it looked better with his full name.
Oliver Matteo is a fabulous name!! Congrats on your new baby 🙂
What a gorgeous name you picked out! Congratulations!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I like Mateo, but I know a lot- certainly more young Mateos than Aidans. It’s probably at least top 50 in my area, which has a huge Spanish speaking population and is quite close to areas with a lot of Italians.
I think it is a great crossover name- easy to say in most languages, and I think it works even if you can’t claim Italian or Spanish ancestry.
Interesting that there are so many Matteo’s where you live. Where i am.. My son is the only one.
I prefer Mattia, that is also in the Italian Top10 for boys, but I’m not completely sure if its another form of Matthew or a different name.
I have to disagree that names are getting softer though, more and more butch names are flooding the boys top1000, and the fall of names ending in Y in favor of harder endings such as N or R kinda prove that.
Mattia is the italian form of Matthias.
I have like Matteo for a long time. I love that it sounds slightly foreign but still familiar.
Kind of like Mikhail.