Matilda, also spelled Mathilda and Mathilde, is the English form of the
Germanic female name ''Mahthildis'', which derives from the
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
"
maht" (meaning "might and strength") and "
hild" (meaning "battle").
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.
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)
*Matthilde (Ματθίλδη) (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
)
*Matilda (מטילדה) (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
)
*Matild (
Hungarian)
*Matthildur (
Icelandic)
*Maitilde (
Irish)
*Mafalda, Matelda, Matélda, Matilde (
Italian)
*Machiruda () (
Japanese)
*Matilda, Mathilda, Mathildis (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
)
*Mǣþhild (
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
)
*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
Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...
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
Matilda of England (June 1156June/July 1189) was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet and by marriage List of royal consorts of Saxony, Duchess consort of Saxony and List of Bavarian consorts, Bavaria from 1168 until her husband's dep ...
(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
Matilda Joslyn Gage ( Joslyn; March 24, 1826 – March 18, 1898) was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the United States, but also campaigned for Native American rights, aboli ...
(1826–1898), American feminist and freethinker
*
Matilda of Boulogne
Matilda I of Boulogne ( – 3 May 1152) was Countess of Boulogne in her own right from 1125 and Queen of England from the accession of her husband, King Stephen, in 1135 until her death in 1152. She supported Stephen in his struggle for th ...
(1104–1152), Queen of England, wife of Stephen of England
*
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders (; ; German: ''Mechtild)'' ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was the mother of ni ...
(c. 1031–1083), Queen of England, wife of William I of England
*
Matilda of Habsburg
Matilda of Habsburg or Melchilde (1253 – 23 December 1304) was a duchess consort of Bavaria. She was regent of Upper Bavaria during the minority of her younger son, Louis IV in 1294–1301.
Marriage
Matilda was the eldest daughter of Rudol ...
(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
Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith, 1080 – 1 May 1118), also known as Good Queen Maud, was Queen consort of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England on several occasions ...
(c. 1080–1118), birth name Edith, wife of Henry I of England
*
Matilda of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany (; or ; – 24 July 1115), or Matilda of Canossa ( ), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as the Attonids) in the second half of the eleventh century. Matilda was on ...
(1046–1114), Countess of Tuscany (also called Mathilde or Matilde of Canossa)
*
Matilda of Požega ( – after 1255), daughter of Margaret de Courtenay, 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
Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament, born ''Catherine de Bar'' (31 December 1614 – 6 April 1698) was a French nun, the founder of the order of Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. She is recognized as the Servant of ...
(1614–1698), French nun and founder of order
*
Matilda Penne (died 1393), English businessperson of the fourteenth century
*
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
Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz (; born 20 January 1973) is Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Philippe. She is the first native-born Belgian queen, and has four children. She formerly worked as a speech therapist. ...
(born 1973), wife of King Philippe of the Belgians
*
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. She is known for playing eccentric and enigmatic characters, often working with auteurs. Her accolades include an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Volpi Cup, in addit ...
(born 1960), British actress, model and artist
*
Tilda Thamar
Tilda Thamar (born Matilde Sofía Margarita Abrecht; 7 December 1921 – 12 April 1989) was an Argentine actress of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. She was born in Entre Rios Province, Argentina, in 1921. She was married to Spanish portrait pa ...
(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
*
Matilda Wirtavuori (born 2000), Finnish beauty pageant winner
Fictional characters
*
Matilda Wormwood, a main character in Roald Dahl's novel ''
Matilda''
* Matilda de Villanegas, a fictional character in Matthew Lewis' ''
The Monk
''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796 across three volumes. Written early in Lewis's career, it was published anonymously when he was 20. It tells the story of a virtuous Catholic monk who give ...
''
* Matilda, a fictional character from the anime/manga ''
Strike Witches
is a Japanese media mix franchise originally created by Fumikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. The illustrations have since inspired several official light novel, manga, and anime series and v ...
''
* Mathilda, a fictional character at the end of ''
Purgatorio
''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno (Dante), Inferno'' and preceding the ''Paradiso (Dante), Paradiso''; it was written in the early 14th century. It is an alleg ...
'' 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
''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...
'', played by
Indiana Evans
Indiana Rose Evans (born 27 July 1990) is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles in ''Home and Away'' as Matilda Hunter, '' H2O: Just Add Water'' as Bella Hartley, and '' Blue Lagoon: The Awakening'' as Emmaline Robinson.
Early li ...
* 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
''The Castle of Otranto'' is a novel by Horace Walpole. First published in 1764, it is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel. In the second edition, Walpole applied the word 'Gothic' to the novel in the subtitle – ''A Gothic Story''. Se ...
'', daughter of Manfred
*
Matilda Ajan, in ''Mobile Suit Gundam''
* A fictional character representing Protestantism in
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...
'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
''Tots TV'' is a British children's television programme, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network (part of CITV) from 1993 to 1998.
Development
''Tots TV'' was written by two of ...
''
*
Matilda Ashby, character on the America soap opera ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
''
*Matilda Román, main antagonist from the Latin American TV series ''
Grachi
''Grachi'' is a Spanish-language American fantasy television series produced by Nickelodeon Latin America created by Mariela Romero. The series stars Isabella Castillo as Grachi and Andrés Mercado as Daniel; also featuring and Kimberly Do ...
''
* Matilda "Matty" Jenkyns, from
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...
's novel
''Cranford'', portrayed by Judi Dench in the
TV series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
of the same title
*Matilda, the hen in the
Angry Birds
''Angry Birds'' is a Finnish media franchise created by Rovio Entertainment, and owned by Sega. The game series focuses on the titular flock of colorful angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs. Inspired by the game ''Cr ...
franchise
*Matilda Bradbury, the real name of Laudna in the third campaign of the DND live-show ''
Critical Role
''Critical Role'' is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 aft ...
''
See also
*
*
*
*
References
{{Authority control
English feminine given names
Italian feminine given names
Feminine given names