Name Matthew

Hugely popular name, versioned from the Hebrew word (מתיו) [Mattityahu] denotation - "given by God (Yahweh); gift of God". Cognate with the name Nathan.

St. Matthew

Matthew the tax collector (also Levi son of Alpheus) the Evangelist was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus [other apostles: Andrew brother of the Apostle Peter (the fisherman from Bethsaida, a disciple of John the Baptist), Peter (or Simon son of John, also called Cephas), John the Evangelist, James son of Zebedee, Philip of Bethsaida, Bartholomew aka Nathaniel, Thomas, James the son, Thaddeus son of Alpheus (also known as Jacob or Judah Levi), Simon the Zealot (also Simon the Zealot) and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus)] and one of the four Evangelists (as well as Luke, John and Mark). Among the early followers and apostles of Jesus, a Matthew is mentioned in Mt 9:9 and Mt 10:3 as a former tax collector from Capernaum who was called into the circle of the Twelve by Jesus. He is also named among the number of the Twelve, but without identification of his background.