Girls' name · peaked in 1880
Matilda name popularity since 1925
20,335 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Matilda. Half of them were born in 2008 or earlier, so the typical Matilda is about 18 years old in 2026. Matilda peaked in 1880 as the #101 name for girls, and it ranked #365 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 20,335
- Named Matilda, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1880
- #101 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #365
- for girls in 2025 (838 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 100.0% girls
- 20,335 girls · 0 boys
- Most popular in
- Arizona
- 1.54× its national share
Peak year is the year Matilda made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Matilda births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2025. Measured as a share of all babies, Matilda peaked earlier, in 1880.
- Steepest fall: Between 1936 and 1941, Matilda's share of baby girls fell by 43%, from 1 in 5,310 to 1 in 9,290.
- Fastest rise: Between 2003 and 2008, it became 3.2× more common, from 1 in 17,400 baby girls to 1 in 5,500.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Matilda's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Matilda.
Decade by decade
Babies named Matilda in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 2,048 | – |
| 1930s | 2,033 | #458 |
| 1940s | 1,284 | #821 |
| 1950s | 1,179 | #888 |
| 1960s | 983 | #1,084 |
| 1970s | 620 | #1,538 |
| 1980s | 359 | #2,779 |
| 1990s | 486 | #2,826 |
| 2000s | 1,712 | #1,627 |
| 2010s | 5,241 | #537 |
| 2020–25 | 4,390 | #365 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
41.8% of babies named Matilda from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Matilda is most popular
The index compares Matilda's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Matilda.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1.54× | 323 |
| Colorado | 1.51× | 301 |
| Washington | 1.45× | 393 |
| New York | 1.34× | 1,642 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.30× | 1,072 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Matilda's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Matilda.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Matilda (1880).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data