Is Matthias the same person as Matthew?

The names Matthew and Matthias both mean, “Gift of God.” As Matthias is an adaptation of the name Matthew, the two can sometimes be mistaken for one another. According to Scripture and other historical accounts, there is evidence to prove that Matthew and Matthias are indeed, two different people.

Saint Matthew was one of the original 12 Apostles and an evangelist. Levi was his original name, which is another way he was proven to be differentiated from Matthias.

Saint Matthias was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus, with Him from His baptism to His Ascension. The name Matthias is Greek, derived from Mattathias. Matthias became the last of the twelve apostles, chosen to replace the original twelfth, Judas Iscariot.