UK girl's name
Mathilda
A feminine name derived from Germanic elements meaning "mighty in battle".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Mathilda is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Mathilda popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1491, with 21 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 68 births.
This profile covers 1,117 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 31% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,127 living people in the UK are called Mathilda. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Mathilda ranked #1491 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 21 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 68 girls were registered as Mathilda.
- • Mathilda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #566 in 2015.
- • About 1,127 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mathilda as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1491
2024
Births in 2024
21
Latest year
Peak year
2007
68 births
Estimated living
1,127
2026
Meaning
What does Mathilda mean?
Mathilda is a feminine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German elements "maat" meaning "might" or "strength" and "hild" meaning "battle." It is a variation of the name Matilda, which gained popularity across Europe in the Middle Ages.
The name Mathilda is believed to have emerged in the 8th or 9th century AD and was initially used by nobility and royalty in various Germanic regions, including present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Matilda, the daughter of the English King Henry I, who lived from 1102 to 1167.
In the 12th century, the name Mathilda gained prominence through Matilda of England, who was also known as the Empress Matilda or Matilda of Anjou. She was a claimant to the English throne during the Anarchy, a civil war that lasted from 1135 to 1153. Her struggle for power and her role in the conflict contributed to the widespread recognition of the name.
Another notable historical figure with the name Mathilda was Mathilda of Tuscany (1046-1115), a wealthy and influential woman who played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. She was a staunch supporter of Pope Gregory VII and fought against the German emperor Henry IV.
In the 13th century, Mathilda of Brandenburg (1210-1261) was a German princess and the landgravine of Thuringia through her marriage to Henry Raspe, the anti-king of Germany during the Great Interregnum. She was a powerful and influential figure in her own right.
During the Renaissance period, Mathilda of Canossa (1046-1115), also known as Matilda of Tuscany, was a prominent Italian noblewoman and one of the most powerful and wealthy individuals in Europe at the time. She was a major supporter of the Papacy and played a crucial role in the Investiture Controversy.
These are just a few examples of notable historical figures who bore the name Mathilda, showcasing its enduring presence and significance across various cultures and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mathilda over time
The chart below shows babies named Mathilda registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Mathilda, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 21 births in 2024, compared with 68 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mathilda by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mathilda was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1305 | 124 | 5 |
| 2010s | #882 | 433 | 10 |
| 2000s | #691 | 455 | 10 |
| 1990s | #866 | 105 | 4 |
Geography
Where Mathilda is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mathilda. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Mathilda ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #566 in 2015.
Across the UK
Mathilda in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#566 in 2015
4 years of NRS records, 16 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Mathilda
-
Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne
rower
British rower
1994-
-
Mathilda Mary Langdon
(born 1974)
1974-
-
Mathilda Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
photographer; writer; aristocrat
Scottish noblewoman (1925-1997)
1925-1997
-
Mathilda Finburgh
association football player
English footballer
Related
Names similar to Mathilda
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Mathilda: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mathilda in the UK right now?
In 2024, Mathilda was ranked #1491 for girls in England and Wales, with 21 births registered.
When was Mathilda most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 68 babies registered as Mathilda in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mathilda?
A feminine name derived from Germanic elements meaning "mighty in battle".
How many people are called Mathilda in the UK?
A total of 1,117 babies have been registered as Mathilda across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 16 more in Scotland.
Where is Mathilda most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mathilda ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #566 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.