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Matilda

Gender
Girl
Say it
ma-TIL-da
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#25 for girls
US rank, 2025
#364 for girls

Matilda is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “mighty in battle”. In 2025 it ranked 25th for girls in the UK (1,515 babies) and 364th for girls in the US (838 babies).

What does Matilda mean?

Germanic: via Norman French

“mighty in battle”

Empress Matilda fought King Stephen for the English throne in the 12th century; Roald Dahl gave the name to a bookish heroine.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Matilda a girl's or a boy's name?

Matilda is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 1,515 girls in the UK and 838 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Matilda in the UK?

Rank in 2025
25th among girls
Babies in 2025
1,515 about 1 in 180 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 15% in five years
Same name in a class
7.4% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 1,515 girls in the UK were named Matilda, making it the 25th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 33rd. Its busiest year was 2016, with 1,983 girls.

2025 had more girls named Matilda than any year since 2019.

Half of all the girls named Matilda in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among girls in 2025, it was 19th in England and Wales, 93rd in Scotland and 111th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2014 (#36) and 2024 (#31).

1996Busiest: 1,983 in 20162025
Matilda in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20251,515#25
20241,267#35
20231,275#32
20221,435#31
20211,494#30
20201,465#33
20191,629#32
20181,696#32
20171,818#32
20161,983#26
20151,846#30
20141,499#41
20131,499#41
20121,324#50
20111,270#54
20101,323#53
20091,321#50
20081,459#45
20071,011#71
2006872#78
2005628#94
2004513#118
2003413#136
2002378#141
2001337#154
2000327#157
1999284#174
1998252#190
1997251#196
1996203#221

How popular is Matilda in the US?

Rank in 2025
364th among girls
Babies in 2025
838 about 1 in 1,900 girls
Five-year trend
Steady up 17% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 838 girls in the US were named Matilda, making it the 364th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 478th.

2025 had the most girls named Matilda of any year since the records began in 1880.

Half of all the girls named Matilda in the US since 1880 were born between 1912 and 2010. It was already well used in 1880, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

1880Busiest: 838 in 20252025
Matilda in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025838#364
2024773#410
2023708#438
2022758#417
2021673#465
2020640#478
2019696#448
2018643#489
2017599#521
2016631#496
2015583#534
2014523#581
2013437#647
2012433#657
2011353#770
2010343#797
2009375#760
2008344#825
2007201#1,233
2006180#1,299
2005124#1,623
200494#1,971
2003105#1,785
2002111#1,653
2001100#1,774
200078#2,085
199974#2,070
199892#1,719
199782#1,813
199647#2,626
199543#2,783
199436#3,163
199326#3,982
199229#3,674
199129#3,627
199028#3,709
198927#3,667
198836#2,862
198735#2,778
198625#3,457
198534#2,748
198433#2,729
198336#2,515
198253#1,965
198142#2,342
198038#2,486
197956#1,874
197837#2,390
197757#1,774
197654#1,747
197566#1,527
197468#1,464
197363#1,496
197264#1,488
197175#1,405
197080#1,320
196977#1,276
196876#1,258
196768#1,324
196687#1,135
196594#1,079
1964127#932
1963126#940
1962101#1,074
1961108#1,057
1960119#979
1959122#949
1958108#999
195795#1,066
1956113#947
1955121#882
1954113#904
1953116#870
1952122#824
1951129#778
1950140#722
1949138#721
1948135#727
1947133#740
1946129#711
194585#819
1944121#677
1943127#673
1942131#653
1941130#620
1940155#554
1939128#591
1938152#552
1937168#507
1936196#457
1935194#458
1934201#457
1933200#464
1932251#410
1931239#415
1930304#390
1929342#354
1928396#336
1927419#328
1926417#323
1925474#304
1924531#287
1923570#270
1922626#259
1921606#273
1920635#261
1919645#253
1918690#243
1917685#239
1916665#240
1915682#231
1914494#240
1913432#230
1912398#223
1911321#221
1910281#227
1909280#204
1908284#196
1907322#173
1906295#173
1905268#187
1904285#172
1903245#187
1902290#165
1901275#165
1900348#161
1899312#149
1898349#144
1897326#146
1896339#141
1895339#135
1894295#148
1893328#130
1892332#129
1891336#120
1890293#133
1889320#118
1888328#112
1887266#114
1886309#104
1885260#107
1884244#108
1883167#124
1882242#103
1881187#106
1880210#100

Nicknames for Matilda

Names like Matilda

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Millie, Ada, Lottie, Eliza, Ella, Amelia, Mabel, Eva, Lola, Sophia, Phoebe, Evie

Other spellings of Matilda

Mathilda, Matylda

Names related to Matilda

Matilde, Mathilde

More Germanic names

Liam, Henry, Charlotte, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Harry, Albie, Louie, Miles, Alice, Myles, Charles, Avery

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Matilda: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/matilda, updated 20 October 2026.