The first name Matilda
A girl’s name meaning “matilda”.
Pronounced /məˈtɪldə/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Matilda means “matilda”.
From Middle English Matilda, from Old French Mathilde, from Old High German Mahthilt, Mehthilt, from Proto-West Germanic *Mahtihild, from Proto-Germanic *Mahtihildiz; compare German Mechthild, Old English Mæþhild (“Matilda”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 1,449 girls were named Matilda, making it the 19th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2016, with 1,915 births (#25).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Matilda with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Matilda at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 838 girls born in the United States were named Matilda, the 365th most popular girls’ name that year.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Matilda in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Matilda in Esperanto, Finnish and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Matilda
32 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Matilda Joslyn GageAmerican writer, Native American civil rights activist, abolitionist, freethinker, 1826–1898
- Matilda ZieglerBritish actress, born 1964
- Matilda SmithBritish botanical illustrator and botanist (1854-1926)
- Carrie Matilda DerickCanadian botanist and geneticist (1862-1941)
- Matilda HaysBritish journalist, translator, editor (1820-1897)
- Matilda of BrabantCountess of Holland, 1200–1267
- Matilda Betham-EdwardsEnglish novelist, travel writer, poet and children's writer (1836-1919)
- Martha Matilda HarperCanadian-American entrepreneur (1857-1950)
- Matilda RapaportExtreme skier (1986-2016)
- Matilda BrowneAmerican painter (1869-1947)
- Matilda Chaplin AyrtonEnglish midwife and physician (1846-1883)
- Matilda Coxe StevensonEthnologist (1849-1915)
Questions
- What does the name Matilda mean?
- Matilda means “matilda”.
- How popular is the name Matilda?
- In 2025, 1,449 girls born in England and Wales were named Matilda, ranking 19th. Its peak was 2016, with 1,915 births.
- What are nicknames for Matilda?
- Common nicknames for Matilda include Tilly, Mattie, Tilda, Tillie.
- Is Matilda a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 37,280 US babies named Matilda since 1880 were girls.
- When was Matilda most popular?
- 2025 in the United States, when 838 babies were named Matilda, its highest rank at 365th.
- How do you pronounce Matilda?
- Matilda is /məˈtɪldə/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Matilda?
- Mathilda.