Matilda, also spelled Mathilda and Mathilde, is the English form of the Germanic female name Mahthildis, which derives from the Old High German "maht" (meaning "might and strength") and "hild" (meaning "battle").[1]
 Seal of Empress Matilda, claimant to the English throne between 1141 and 1148 | |
| Pronunciation | [məˌtɪldə] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Feminine |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Mighty in battle |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Matilde |
The name was most popular in the United States between 1880 and 1910, when it was among the top 200 names given to girls. It left the top 1,000 names in the United States by 1964 but reappeared for the first time in 44 years in the top 1,000 names as the 869th most popular name for baby girls born in 2008 in the United States.[2]
Translations
- Mahthildis (Ancient Germanic)
- Matylda, Tylda (Czech)
- Mathilde, Tilde, Tille (Danish)
- Mathilde, Machteld, Mechteld (Dutch)
- Mathilda, Matilda, Matti, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Tilda, Tilli, Tillie, Tilly (English)
- Matilda (Finnish)
- Mathilde, Mahault, Mahaud, Mahaut, Maheut (French)
- Mathilde, Mechthild, Mechthildis, Mechtild, Mechtilde, Hilde, Tilde (German)
- Mathilde (Μαθίλδη) (Greek)
- Matilda (מטילדה) (Hebrew)
- Matild (Hungarian)
- Matthildur (Icelandic)
- Maitilde (Irish)
- Mafalda, Matelda, Matélda, Matilde (Italian)
- Machiruda (マチルダ) (Japanese)
- Matilda, Mathilda, Mathildis (Latin)
- Mǣþhild (Old English)
- Matylda (Polish)
- Matilde (Portuguese)
- Matilda (Romanian)
- Matilda (Матильда) (Russian)
- Matilde, Matilda (Spanish)
Saints
- Matilda of Ringelheim (968)
- Mechtildis of Edelstetten, Dießen, Andechs (1160)
- Mechthild of Magdeburg (1282/1294)
- Mechtilde of Hackeborn (1240/41 – 1298)
People
- Empress Matilda or Empress Maud (1102–1167), Lady of the English, Queen of Germany, daughter of Henry I of England, mother of Henry II of England
- Matilda, Countess of Angus (fl. 13th century), Scottish noblewoman
- Matilda, Countess of Rethel (1091–1151), French noblewoman
- Mathilda Berwald (1798–1877), Swedish royal court singer
- Matilda Caragiu Marioțeanu (1927–2009), Romanian linguist
- Matilda Carse (1835–1917), Irish-born American businesswoman, social reformer, publisher
- Matilda Maranda Crawford (1844–1920), American-Canadian newspaper correspondent, writer, poet
- Mathilda d'Orozco (1796–1863), Italian composer
- Mathilda Enequist (1833–1898), Swedish opera singer
- Mathilda Foy (1813–1869), Swedish philanthropist
- Mathilda Gelhaar (1813–1889), Swedish opera singer
- Mathilda Högberg (born 1994), Swedish social media influencer
- Mathilda Linsén (1831–1872), Finnish educator
- Mathilda May (born 1965), French film actress
- Matilda McNamara (born 1998), Australian footballer
- Matilda Newport, Liberian folk hero
- Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony (1156–1189), Duchess of Saxony, daughter of Henry II of England
- Matilda of Holstein (1220 or 1225–1288), Danish queen consort
- Matilda of Savoy (1390–1498), Electress palatine
- Mathilda Rotkirch (1813–1842), Finnish painter
- Matilde Camus (1919–2012), Spanish poet
- Matilda Coxe Stevenson (1855–1915, née Evans), American ethnologist and author
- Matilda Cugler-Poni (1851–1931), Romanian poet
- Matilda Etches (1898–1974), British fashion designer
- Matilda Ehringhaus (1890–1980), First Lady of North Carolina
- Matilda Lowther (b. 1995), British fashion model
- Matilda Jane Sager (1839–1928), fifth of the Sager orphans
- Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–1898), American feminist and freethinker
- Matilda of Boulogne (1104–1152), Queen of England, wife of Stephen of England
- Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031–1083), Queen of England, wife of William I of England
- Matilda of Habsburg (1253–1304), Duchess consort of Bavaria
- Matilda of Ringelheim, (892–968), wife of Henry the Fowler, King of East Francia
- Matilda of Savoy, Queen of Portugal (1125–1158), first Portuguese queen-consort
- Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080–1118), birth name Edith, wife of Henry I of England
- Matilda of Tuscany (1046–1114), Countess of Tuscany (also called Mathilde or Matilde of Canossa)
- Matilda of Vianden, Lady of Požega (c. 1215 – after 1255), wife of John Angelos of Syrmia
- Mechtilde Lichnowsky (1879–1958), German writer born Mechtilde Christiane Marie Gräfin von und zu Arco-Zinneberg
- Mechtildis of Edelstetten or Mechtildis of Edelstetten (died 1160)
- Mechthild of Magdeburg (c. 1207 – c. 1282/1294), Beguine and mystic
- Mechtild of Nassau (before 1280 – 1323), Duchess consort of Bavaria
- Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament (1614–1698), French nun and founder of order
- Mechtild Rothe (born 1947), German politician
- Mathilda Mélusine dei Principi Ruspoli (born 1994), Italian model and aristocrat
- Matilda Simon, 3rd Baroness Simon of Wythenshawe (born 1955), British transgender peer
- Queen Mathilde of Belgium (born 1973), wife of King Philippe of the Belgians
- Tilda Swinton (born 1960), British actress, model and artist
- Tilda Thamar (1921–1989), Argentine actress
- Tilly Ramsay (born 2001), English television presenter, chef and social media influencer
- Matilda Rose Ledger (born 2005), daughter of actor Heath Ledger and actress Michelle Williams
Fictional characters
- Matilda Wormwood, a main character in Roald Dahl's novel Matilda
- Matilda de Villanegas, a fictional character in Matthew Lewis' The Monk
- Matilda, a fictional character from the anime/manga Strike Witches
- Mathilda, a fictional character at the end of Purgatorio of Dante's Divine Comedy
- Mathilda McCann, a fictional character played by Alana Austin in the Steve Martin movie A Simple Twist of Fate
- Matilda McDuck, a Disney character who is Scrooge McDuck's sister and Donald Duck's maternal aunt
- Matilda "Mattie" Hunter, a fictional character from the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Indiana Evans
- Matilda, Cranky Doodle Donkey’s love interest in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- A fictional character in the Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto, daughter of Manfred
- Matilda Ajan, in Mobile Suit Gundam
- A fictional character representing Protestantism in Heinrich Heine's "The City of Lucca" and "The Baths of Lucca"
- Mathilda Lando (played by Natalie Portman), Leon's apprentice and companion in Luc Besson's Léon
- Tilly, French-speaking character in the pre-school children's TV show Tots TV
- Matilda Ashby, character on the America soap opera The Young and the Restless
- Matilda Román, main antagonist from the Latin American TV series Grachi
- Matilda "Matty" Jenkyns, from Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Cranford, portrayed by Judi Dench in the TV series of the same title
- Matilda, the hen in the Angry Birds franchise
- Matilda Bradbury, the real name of Laudna in the third campaign of the DND live-show Critical Role
See also
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matilda (given name).
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