Matilda Girl

Popularity: #338 · Trend: ↗ Rising

Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: ma-TIL-duh //məˈtɪldə//

Origin: German; Old High German; Latin

Meaning: Strength in battle; mighty in battle; brave warrior

Historical & Cultural Background

The name Matilda has its roots in the Germanic elements "maht" meaning "might" or "strength" and "hild" meaning "battle." This combination gives the name a literal meaning of "strength in battle." The name was introduced to England by the Normans in the 11th century, deriving from the Old High German form "Mahthildis." It subsequently evolved through various forms, including the Old French "Mathilde," before becoming established in Middle English as "Matilda." Historically, Matilda is notably associated with several significant figures. One of the earliest was Saint Matilda, the wife of King Henry I of Germany, who lived in the 10th century and was canonized for her piety.

The name gained further prominence in England through Matilda of Scotland, the wife of King Henry I, and later through Empress Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, who played a crucial role in the English civil war known as The Anarchy in the 12th century. The name also appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's "Historia Regum Britanniae" from the 12th century, which contributed to its literary presence.

Culturally, Matilda has been associated with themes of strength and resilience, reflecting its etymological roots. The name has been embraced in various forms of literature and art, symbolizing powerful female figures throughout history.

In addition to its historical significance, the diminutive form "Tilda" has emerged as a more affectionate variant, further embedding the name in cultural contexts. Overall, Matilda's enduring legacy can be traced through its rich historical associations and the powerful meanings embedded within its etymology.

Famous people named Matilda

In this section, you will find notable people named Matilda. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Matilda who have made a significant impact on popular culture.

We also feature individuals named Matilda who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.

Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.

Matilda Wormwood is a fictional character best known as the protagonist in Roald Dahl's novel Matilda.

Matilda De Angelis is an actress best known for The Undoing, Leonardo, and Yara.

Fictional characters named Matilda

The following list of fictional characters named Matilda is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.

You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.

Matilda Wormwood is a fictional character from the children's novel Matilda. She is a gifted young girl with extraordinary intelligence and telekinetic powers who overcomes adversity in her life.

Sibling suggestions

If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Matilda, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.

MabelMiraMaggieMayaMiriamMina

Similar names

Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Matilda. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.

MarthaMabelMinaMiraMaraMireilleMireya

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Matilda was first seen in the United States in 1880.

Matilda has ranked as high as #753 nationally, which occurred in 2025, and has been most popular in New York, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, and Ohio.

In the past 5 years the name Matilda has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

The name Matilda is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Matilda was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Matilda.

Year Total Births Boy Girl
2025 838 0 838
2024 773 0 773
2023 708 0 708
2022 758 0 758
2021 673 0 673
2020 640 0 640
2019 696 0 696
2018 643 0 643
2017 599 0 599
2016 631 0 631
2015 583 0 583
2014 523 0 523
2013 437 0 437
2012 433 0 433
2011 353 0 353
2010 343 0 343
2009 375 0 375
2008 344 0 344
2007 201 0 201
2006 180 0 180
2005 124 0 124
2004 94 0 94
2003 105 0 105
2002 111 0 111
2001 100 0 100
2000 78 0 78
1999 74 0 74
1998 92 0 92
1997 82 0 82
1996 47 0 47
1995 43 0 43
1994 36 0 36
1993 26 0 26
1992 29 0 29
1991 29 0 29
1990 28 0 28
1989 27 0 27
1988 36 0 36
1987 35 0 35
1986 25 0 25
1985 34 0 34
1984 33 0 33
1983 36 0 36
1982 53 0 53
1981 42 0 42
1980 38 0 38
1979 56 0 56
1978 37 0 37
1977 57 0 57
1976 54 0 54
1975 66 0 66
1974 68 0 68
1973 63 0 63
1972 64 0 64
1971 75 0 75
1970 80 0 80
1969 77 0 77
1968 76 0 76
1967 68 0 68
1966 87 0 87
1965 94 0 94
1964 127 0 127
1963 126 0 126
1962 101 0 101
1961 108 0 108
1960 119 0 119
1959 122 0 122
1958 108 0 108
1957 95 0 95
1956 113 0 113
1955 121 0 121
1954 113 0 113
1953 116 0 116
1952 122 0 122
1951 129 0 129
1950 140 0 140
1949 138 0 138
1948 135 0 135
1947 133 0 133
1946 129 0 129
1945 85 0 85
1944 121 0 121
1943 127 0 127
1942 131 0 131
1941 130 0 130
1940 155 0 155
1939 128 0 128
1938 152 0 152
1937 168 0 168
1936 196 0 196
1935 194 0 194
1934 201 0 201
1933 200 0 200
1932 251 0 251
1931 239 0 239
1930 304 0 304
1929 342 0 342
1928 396 0 396
1927 419 0 419
1926 417 0 417
1925 474 0 474
1924 531 0 531
1923 570 0 570
1922 631 5 626
1921 606 0 606
1920 635 0 635
1919 645 0 645
1918 690 0 690
1917 685 0 685
1916 665 0 665
1915 682 0 682
1914 494 0 494
1913 432 0 432
1912 398 0 398
1911 321 0 321
1910 281 0 281
1909 280 0 280
1908 284 0 284
1907 322 0 322
1906 295 0 295
1905 268 0 268
1904 285 0 285
1903 245 0 245
1902 290 0 290
1901 275 0 275
1900 348 0 348
1899 312 0 312
1898 349 0 349
1897 326 0 326
1896 339 0 339
1895 339 0 339
1894 295 0 295
1893 328 0 328
1892 332 0 332
1891 336 0 336
1890 293 0 293
1889 320 0 320
1888 328 0 328
1887 266 0 266
1886 309 0 309
1885 265 5 260
1884 244 0 244
1883 167 0 167
1882 242 0 242
1881 187 0 187
1880 210 0 210

Top States for Matilda (2024)

We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.

State Births Share
CA 83
11%
TX 55
8%
NY 44
6%
OH 34
5%
FL 28
4%
IL 27
4%
WA 27
4%
MI 26
4%
PA 24
3%
NC 24
3%
CO 24
3%
OR 24
3%
WI 23
3%
IN 22
3%
MN 22
3%
MA 21
3%
MO 19
3%
VA 19
3%
AZ 18
2%
NJ 17
2%
TN 16
2%
KY 16
2%
UT 15
2%
MD 15
2%
GA 14
2%
SC 10
1%
CT 10
1%
AR 9
1%
IA 7
1%
NE 7
1%
KS 7
1%
AL 6
1%
RI 5
1%
NV 5
1%
DC 5
1%
AK 5
1%