How popular is the baby name Mathayus in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Mathayus.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Mathayus


Posts that mention the name Mathayus

How did “The Mummy” influence baby names?

The character Anubis from the movie "The Mummy Returns" (2001).
Anubis from “The Mummy Returns

A slew of Mummy-movies have come out since The Mummy in 1999.

After going through the names of the main characters in all the films, I came away with several that might have influenced the baby name data (Imhotep, Pollux, Valina) but only two that I considered slam-dunks: Anubis and Mathayus.

The Mummy Returns (2001) was the second film in the series, but the first to feature the wolf-headed god Anubis. A year after the movie came out, the baby name Anubis debuted in the data:

  • 2004: unlisted
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: 10 baby boys named Anubis
  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: unlisted

Anubis was the god of “death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the underworld” in ancient Egypt. “Anubis” is actually the Greek form of the name — in ancient Egypt, the god was known as “Inpw.” His name could have been derived from an Egyptian word meaning “royal child, prince,” or from a different Egyptian word meaning “to decay.”

The second film also featured a bad-guy character called the “Scorpion King” (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). In the 2002 spin-off movie The Scorpion King, this character was not only turned into a good guy, but also given a birth name: Mathayus. Right on cue, the baby name Mathayus debuted in the data:

  • 2005: 7 baby boys named Mathayus
  • 2004: 7 baby boys named Mathayus
  • 2003: 11 baby boys named Mathayus [debut]
  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: unlisted

Mathayus was an Akkadian warrior, but the name “Mathayus” doesn’t seem to be Akkadian. My guess is that the movie-makers simply got creative with the Biblical name Matthias.

Which of these two names do you like more, Anubis or Mathayus?

Sources: Anubis – Behind the Name, Anubis – Wikipedia