Matilda
Feminine · “mighty in battle”
Matilda is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 37,270 girls against 10 boys since 1880.
Matilda arrived in England with the Normans and has been in continuous use in the English-speaking world ever since — the name of William the Conqueror's queen, and of the empress who fought her cousin for the throne in the twelfth century. It softened into medieval Maud, came back in its full Latin form, and picked up an Australian marching song and a famous children's novel along the way. Four syllables that land easily: muh-TIL-duh.
How old is the name Matilda?
Matilda was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Matilda alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 16,000 people named Matilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Matilda most popular?
Matilda peaked in 1880, reaching #100 nationally. Today it ranks #364, 264 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Matilda appears on these lists:
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- Scottish gems the US hasn't discovered
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Names with only one spelling
- all guides
Works in British families too:
Where it comes from
From Mahthildis to Matilda
The story of Matilda
The name began as Germanic Mahthildis and was borne by a tenth-century German queen later honored as a saint. It reached England in Latin form after 1066 with Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, and was carried by their granddaughter Empress Matilda, whose claim to the English crown set off the civil war of the twelfth century. Ordinary English speakers contracted it to Maud, which took over for centuries before the full Matilda returned. Two later arrivals kept it in the air: Banjo Paterson's 1895 song "Waltzing Matilda", where matilda was Australian slang for a swagman's bundle, and Roald Dahl's 1988 novel.
Meaning
mighty in battle
From the Germanic elements *maht* "might, strength" and *hild* "battle", combined in the old name Mahthildis.
How the name formed
- Mahthildis
- Mathilde
- Matilda
- Maud
Related forms: Mathilde · Mathilde · Matilde · Matilde · Mathilda · Matylda
Pronouncing Matilda
muh-TIL-duh
Stress on the middle syllable. The German and French Mathilde is closer to ma-TILL-duh or ma-TEELD, if relatives abroad reach for that version.
Nicknames for Matilda
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 2025838 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #100reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +10.6%838 in 2025, from 758
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Matilda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Mathilde in German — same name
- Mathilde in French — same name
- Matilde in Italian — same name
- Matilde in Spanish — same name
- Mathilda in Swedish — spelling variant
- Matylda in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York. International figures from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Matildas among us
people named Matilda are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 1,918 born in 2025 was named Matilda
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Matilda is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Matilda is headed
Matilda should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Matilda beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Matilda in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- An unbroken record in English since the Norman Conquest — long past the point where any fashion cycle can date it.
- Recognizable in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish and Scandinavian forms, so it travels without translation.
- Several established short forms already in real use — Tilly, Tillie, Mattie, Tilda — none of which need explaining.
- Currently charting in England, Wales and Scotland as well as the US, so it reads as familiar rather than invented on both sides of the Atlantic.
- Roald Dahl's novel and its film and stage versions are the first thing many people will mention. It is affectionate rather than awkward, but expect it often.
- Mathilda, Mathilde and Matilde are all real spellings elsewhere, so the double-check question will come up on forms and rosters for life.
- The full name is still strongly represented among the oldest generations in the US, which is exactly what makes it read as vintage now — worth knowing if you would rather a name with no grandmotherly echo at all.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Matilda to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Matilda? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Matilda
Feminine · #364 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Matildas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 16,000 people named Matilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Matilda in 2025?
- Matilda ranks #364 among US girl names in 2025, with 838 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Matilda?
- About 1 in every 1,918 US girls born in 2025 was named Matilda — 838 in all.
- Will my child share the name Matilda with classmates?
- Matilda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Matilda
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kayla#364 · Helena#363 · Adriana#366 · Ariyah#366 · Briella#362 · Camilla#361 · Alaya#368 · Gwendolyn#360
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Matilda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Matilda and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle