| Zelda | Matilda | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Battle (grey battle-maid) | Battle-mighty |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ZEL-duh | muh-TIL-duh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2020 (526) | 2025 (838) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 838 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zelda | Matilda |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,561 | 4,390 |
| 2010s | 2,889 | 5,241 |
| 2000s | 391 | 1,712 |
| 1990s | 144 | 486 |
| 1980s | 154 | 359 |
| 1970s | 305 | 620 |
| 1960s | 1,265 | 983 |
| 1950s | 1,160 | 1,179 |
| 1940s | 1,074 | 1,284 |
| 1930s | 1,650 | 2,033 |
| 1920s | 2,376 | 5,016 |
| 1910s | 1,854 | 5,293 |
| 1900s | 595 | 2,892 |
| 1890s | 254 | 3,249 |
| 1880s | 62 | 2,533 |
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.
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.
Matilda is more popular than Zelda today: about 838 US babies were given the name Matilda in 2025, compared with 0 named Zelda.
Zelda means Battle (grey battle-maid) (germanic origin), while Matilda means Battle-mighty (germanic origin).
In US records, Zelda first appears in 0 and Matilda in 1880, so Zelda has the longer recorded history.