Tilda
Feminine · “mighty in battle”
Tilda is Matilda's back half, and Matilda means mighty in battle — a Germanic war name carried by an empress who fought a twenty-year civil war for the English crown.
How old is the name Tilda?
Tilda was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Tilda alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 700 people named Tilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Tilda most popular?
Tilda peaked in 1883, reaching #320 nationally. Today it ranks #6546, 6,226 places below that high. See the whole 1883 chart.
Where it comes from
From Mahthildis to Tilda
The story of Tilda
Matilda came to England with the Conqueror's wife and was carried by the Empress Matilda, who fought Stephen for the throne through the twelve-year anarchy and whose son became Henry II. The name produced Maud, Tilly and Tilda. Scandinavian and German use kept Tilda alive, and American families registered it through the nineteenth century, peaking around 1885.
Meaning
mighty in battle
Through Matilda, from the Germanic maht, 'might' or 'strength', and hild, 'battle'. Both elements are ordinary Germanic words and the compound is transparent. Hild is the same element behind Hilda and Brunhild, and it names the Valkyries' business directly.
How the name formed
- Mahthildis
- Matilda
- Tilda
Related forms: Tilda · Mathilde · Matilda
Pronouncing Tilda
TIL-duh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Swedish says it the same way.
Nicknames for Tilda
Moderate
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
- 192435 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #320reached in 1883
- Change vs 2023
- −15.0%17 in 2025, from 20
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.
Tilda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Tilda in Swedish — same name
- Mathilde in German — related form
- Matilda in English — related form
Tildas among us
people named Tilda are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 94,545 born in 2025 was named Tilda
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
Tilda sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Tilda beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Tilda in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is transparent, undisputed and unusually forceful.
- A documented empress who fought a civil war carries the parent name.
- Tilly is available as a short form with real currency now.
- Matilda is much the commoner form and is fully current.
- It is period-coded to the nineteenth century in American records, though Scandinavia has kept it.
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What they receive
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Tilda
Feminine · #6546 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Tildas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Tilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Tilda in 2025?
- Tilda ranks #6546 among US girl names in 2025, with 17 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Tilda?
- About 1 in every 94,545 US girls born in 2025 was named Tilda — 17 in all.
- Will my child share the name Tilda with classmates?
- Tilda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Tilda
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Roseann#6546 · Solveig#6546 · Elona#6546 · Rosette#6546 · Bradie#6546 · Rida#6546 · Gwendalyn#6546 · Lorene#6546
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Tilda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Tilda and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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