Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Mateo

Mateo is the Spanish version of the English male name Matthew from the Hebrew “Mattathia” which translates to “Gift of God.” Matthew is best known as the Christian evangelist who wrote the first gospel of the New Testament. As an important figure in the Christian Bible, the name Matthew and its many variations have been used widely throughout the English and Spanish (Mateo) speaking worlds. We know Matthew has been in use since the Middle Ages, so Mateo must also be several centuries old. The names of the four gospel authors have always been important and widely used among those of Spanish descent (Mateo, Marcos, Lucas and Juan). Mateo is currently the 35th most popular boy’s name in Mexico (2010) and 44th in Spain (2009). Interestingly, the Italian version of Matthew, Matteo, is the 4th most popular boy’s name in Italy (2008).

All About the Baby Name – Mateo

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MATEO

The number Nine personality represents the completion or ending of the cycle, and a need for perfection. This is the personality that moves from "self" to a greater understanding and compassion for the human condition and the world order. They want to make the world a better place. Nines are capable of great spiritual and humanitarian achievements. They are courageous and fearless, able to fight great battles on behalf of worthy causes. These personalities will not tolerate injustice. They are compassionate people with a strong sensitivity to others. They are able to both educate and inspire. Friendships and relationships are the lifeblood to the Nine, and they place a high value on love and affection. Nines are often exceptionally gifted artistically, and they have a keen imagination and enterprising mind.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MATEO

We are not sure why, but this centuries-old name only first appeared on the U.S. naming charts quite recently in 1995. We would have thought it’s been around longer than that! In any case, Mateo has increased in usage rather quickly in the past 15 years. In 2011, the name reached its peak popularity at position #191 on the charts. In New Mexico, the name Mateo is already on the Top 100 list, but this doesn’t surprise us given the density of the Latino population in that border-state. Mateo is a masculine and strong-sounding boy’s name. Your baby is presumably your gift from God, so what better to name him than Mateo?

Quick Facts

ON MATEO

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Spanish

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

109

PRONUNCIATION:

ma-TAY-o

SIMPLE MEANING:

God's gift

Characteristics

OF MATEO

Multi-talented

Intuitive

Oneness

Idealistic

Philanthropy

Independent

Perfection

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Mateo

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MATEO

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Mateo

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MATEO

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Mateo


Popular Songs

ON MATEO

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Mateo


Famous People

NAMED MATEO

Mateo Alemán (16th century Spanish novelist)
Mateo Arias (teen actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MATEO

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Mateo

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MATEO

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Mateo