Will my child share the name Matilda with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 1,449 UK babies named Matilda per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Matilda in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Matilda becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Matilda is at its highest recorded position — #19 in 2025, with 1,449 births. In 2020 it ranked #29.

What does the name Matilda mean?

The name Matilda has Germanic origins and means "Battle-mighty". Names with clear etymological roots tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles and give children a story to tell about their name.

Who are some famous people named Matilda?

Notable people named Matilda include: Matilda Sturridge, Matilda Brown and Matilda Kearns.

Is Matilda a popular baby name in the United States?

Matilda appears in the US top 500 at #410 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.

👧 Girl's name ⭐ Popular UK #19

Matilda

🗳️ Add Matilda to a family shortlist

Matilda is a popular choice in the UK, ranked #19 in 2025. There's a good chance they'll share their name with at least one classmate throughout school.

Origin & Meaning

Germanic — Battle-mighty

⭐

UK Rank 2025

#19

US Rank #365

About the Name Matilda

Matilda is at its highest recorded position in the UK, #19 in 2025 — the strongest showing it has had. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has spent 21 of the last 30 years inside the UK top 100 — a mark of enduring mainstream appeal.

In terms of origin, Matilda is rooted in Germanic, where it means "Battle-mighty". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.

Matilda is one of the most popular names in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Matilda on the register.

In the US it sits at #410 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.

⭐ Famous People Named Matilda

Matilda Sturridge — Matilda Alyson Faith Rosenblatt (née Sturridge) is an English actor.
Matilda Brown — Matilda Brown is an Australian actor, writer and director.
Matilda Kearns — Matilda Emily Kearns is an Australian Olympic water polo player who plays for the Australian national team.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the name Matilda

1,449

UK babies named Matilda (2025)

~0.0

Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)

~0.7

In a school of 600

↑ 10 places

Rank change (last 5 years)

🏫 Who else is in the room?

In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Matilda

Almost certainly the only Matilda in the class

UK Popularity (1996–2025)

Rank and birth count · ONS official data

US Popularity (2020–2025)

Rank · SSA official data

✨ Similar names to Matilda

Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story

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Famous People Named Matilda

Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia

Matilda Sturridgeb. 1988

Matilda Alyson Faith Rosenblatt (née Sturridge) is an English actor.

Matilda Brownb. 1987

Matilda Brown is an Australian actor, writer and director.

Matilda Kearnsb. 2000

Matilda Emily Kearns is an Australian Olympic water polo player who plays for the Australian national team.

Empress MatildaHistorical

Empress Matilda, also known as Empress Maud, was Holy Roman Empress as the consort of Emperor Henry V from 1110 until his death in 1125, and was subsequently a claimant to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy.

Matilda of FlandersHistorical

Matilda of Flanders (French: Mathilde; Dutch: Machteld; German: Mechtild) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy.

Matilda of ScotlandHistorical

Matilda of Scotland, also known as Good Queen Maud, was Queen consort of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I.

Matilda of Ringelheim

Matilda of Ringelheim (c. 892 – 14 March 968), also known as Saint Matilda, was a Saxon noblewoman who became queen of Germany.