Tilda

Girl · Germanic

Tilda

Say it: TIL-duh

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Short form of Matilda, from Germanic maht 'might, strength' and hild 'battle'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A short form now used independently, especially in Sweden.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1880s

In the United States

1,950 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1883, about 1 in 3,600 girls
14 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English Swedish German

The family of the name

Other spellings: Tilde

German	Tilde
Swedish	Tilda

Famous bearers

Tilda Swinton, British actress

Names worth a look

TirzahGirlHebrew Tirtsah, usually read as 'pleasantness, delight', from ratsah 'to be pleased'.Biblical · peak 2017 · forgotten

EudoraGirlFrom Greek eu 'good' and dōron 'gift'.Greece · peak 1891 · forgotten

ClementinaGirlDerived from Clemens 'merciful, mild'.Renaissance · peak 1908

VashtiGirlUncertain. Probably Persian, often linked to a word meaning 'best' or 'beautiful', but not settled.Biblical · peak 1902 · forgotten

JemimaGirlHebrew Yemimah, a daughter of Job; usually explained as 'dove'.Biblical · peak 1885

FredericaGirlFeminine of Frederick, from Germanic frid 'peace' and ric 'ruler, powerful'.Revolutions · peak 1898 · forgotten

DaltonBoyFrom an English surname taken from several places named Dalton, Old English dæl 'valley' and tūn 'farmstead'.Modern · peak 1998

DilettaGirlFrom Italian diletta 'beloved, dear', from Latin dilecta.Modern

Where this comes from

National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.