Matilda is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Matilda means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Matilda across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Matilda has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Matilda is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “mighty in battle”. From Germanic elements maht and hild.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 37,280 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 29,977 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 857 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 300 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 830 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,196 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Matilda per year, England & Wales (1996 to 2025). England & Wales peaked in 2016 (1,915/yr) · United States peaked in 2025 (838/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2016 (58/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2017 (58/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2017 (24/yr).
Matilda has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #754 nationally (given to 2,378 babies that year).
Matilde · Matildia · Matylda · Mattilda · Matlida
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