Matilda at a glance
- Meaning
- “mighty in battle”
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Germanic
- Pronunciation
- muh-TIL-duh
- Nicknames
- Tilly, Tilda, Maud
- Other forms
- Mathilde, Mathilda, Maud
Where the name Matilda comes from
Matilda comes from old Germanic words for strength and battle. The Normans brought it to England: Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror, and Empress Matilda fought for the English throne in the 12th century. Roald Dahl’s children’s book Matilda helped make it popular again.