| Matilda | Zelda | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Battle-mighty | Battle (grey battle-maid) |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | muh-TIL-duh | ZEL-duh |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (838) | 2020 (526) |
| In 2025 | 838 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Matilda | Zelda |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,390 | 2,561 |
| 2010s | 5,241 | 2,889 |
| 2000s | 1,712 | 391 |
| 1990s | 486 | 144 |
| 1980s | 359 | 154 |
| 1970s | 620 | 305 |
| 1960s | 983 | 1,265 |
| 1950s | 1,179 | 1,160 |
| 1940s | 1,284 | 1,074 |
| 1930s | 2,033 | 1,650 |
| 1920s | 5,016 | 2,376 |
| 1910s | 5,293 | 1,854 |
| 1900s | 2,892 | 595 |
| 1890s | 3,249 | 254 |
| 1880s | 2,533 | 62 |
From the Germanic elements 'maht' (might, strength) and 'hild' (battle), giving the sense 'mighty in battle'. Popularized by the 11th-century Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror.
Commonly a short form of Griselda, from Germanic 'gris' (grey) and 'hild' (battle). A separate Yiddish name Zelda meaning roughly 'blessed/happy' also exists, so the battle sense specifically traces to the Griselda line.
Matilda is more popular than Zelda today: about 838 US babies were given the name Matilda in 2025, compared with 0 named Zelda.
Matilda means Battle-mighty (germanic origin), while Zelda means Battle (grey battle-maid) (germanic origin).
In US records, Matilda first appears in 1880 and Zelda in 0, so Zelda has the longer recorded history.