Matje

Matje is a diminutive from the Netherlands, derived from the names Mathilde and Matthias. As a girl's name and variant of the Old High German name Mathilde, Matje carries the meaning 'the strong fighter' or 'the powerful in battle.'

What does the name Matje mean?

Matje is both a diminutive for Mathilde and Matthias. In its feminine form, the name Matje means 'the strong fighter' or 'the powerful in battle,' while in its masculine form, it is derived from Matthias and means 'gift of God,' 'gift of the Lord,' or 'given by JHWH (God).' The name Matje is mainly common in the Netherlands, but it is relatively rare there.

Where does the name Matje come from?

The origin of the name Matje is both ancient Hebrew and Old High German, with meanings such as 'given by JHWH (God)' or 'gift of the Lord.' In ancient Hebrew, mattath (מַתַּת) stands for 'gift, present,' and jhwh (יהוה) is the name of God. In Old High German, the name is composed of maht = power, strength and hiltia = battle. The language is primarily Dutch.

How do you pronounce Matje?

Matje is pronounced like 'Matsche.'

When is the name day of Matje?

As a derived form of Mathilde, Matje has name days on February 26, March 6, May 31, August 15, and November 19. As a derivation of Matthias, the name day is celebrated on February 24.

Popularity

In Germany, Matje is a rather rare first name. It has not appeared in the German name popularity lists so far. The best ranking in the Netherlands was achieved by Matje in 1937 with the 395th place. In the last ten years, the name has been given about 30 times there, which places it at 1,142nd in the ten-year statistics. From 1930 to 2024, Matje ranks 1,212th in the Netherlands.

Nicknames & pet names

Hering / Majina / Matjella / Matjes / Matti