Mattea is the Italian feminine form of Matteo, from Hebrew roots meaning "gift of God."
Mattea is the feminine form of Matthew, a name of profound scriptural importance. Matthew derives from the Hebrew *Mattityahu*, a compound of *matan* (gift) and *Yahu* (the divine name), yielding the luminous meaning "gift of God." In the New Testament, Matthew was the tax collector transformed into apostle and evangelist, traditionally credited with writing the first Gospel — the account of Christ's life that opens the Christian Bible.
His feast day is celebrated across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, making the name one of the most consistently used masculine names in Christian Europe for over fifteen centuries. The feminization of Matthew is rarer and more recent, making Mattea feel both ancient in its roots and fresh in its form. The Italian and Scandinavian traditions have used it most consistently — in Italian particularly, where the feminine ending -a transforms masculine names with elegant simplicity.
The name has appeared in German-speaking contexts as well, and the Canadian country singer Tara Lynn Oram chose Mattea as her stage name, bringing it before contemporary audiences with a warm, folk-music resonance. Mattea occupies an appealing space in the naming landscape: it carries the full biblical weight of Matthew while offering something genuinely uncommon for a girl. Parents who choose it often appreciate names that are recognizable at first hearing — the Matthew root is immediately audible — while remaining distinctive on paper.
It has the quality of a name that feels like it has always existed but has been waiting patiently to be more widely discovered. Soft yet substantial, spiritual yet entirely wearable, Mattea is a name with deep roots and room to grow.