Name of the Week

This royal powerhouse of the medieval world
is now riding the wave of its second revival.

 

Origin:

Matilda is the Medieval Latin form of the Old Germanic name Mahthildis, composed of the elements mahti "power, might, strength" and hildi "battle." In Medieval French the name became rendered as Mahault or Mahaud which eventually became Maud in England — the standard vernacular form during the Middle Ages.

Usage:

Matilda came over to Britain with the Normans — quite literally, in fact, as Matilda of Flanders was the queen of William the Conqueror. Matilda, famously known for being England's smallest queen, was quite an estimable woman. She played a key part in ensuring her children were highly educated and ruled Normandy in her husband's absence. And, in a time of political marriages and mistresses, William and Matilda had a remarkably equitable marriage. He is thought to have remained faithful to her and was said to have grieved her loss deeply after her death. Starting with Matilda of Flanders, there then came an almost unbroken line of four Queens of England named Matilda. Princess Edith of Scotland married Henry I of England and took her godmother/mother-in-law's (Matilda of Flanders) name, making her the second Queen Matilda of England. She was known for her piety and particular care of the poor and sick, earning her the name "Matilda the Good Queen." Henry and Matilda's daughter was also named Matilda, and when the couple's only son died in his twenties it sent the monarchy into a crisis of succession between Henry's only legitimate child, Empress Matilda (wife of the Holy Roman Emperor), and his nephew, Stephen.  Empress Matilda lived up to the meaning of her name, riding at the head of many battles to defend her right to the throne. She even managed to take control of the country in 1141, but was never officially crowned. Stephen's wife was yet another Queen Matilda (actually a first cousin of the Empress). This Matilda (of Boulogne) also lived up to the meaning of her name when she led her husband's forces after the Empress Matilda captured Stephen. In fact, the list of battle-brave Matildas goes on. Matilda of Tuscany "la Gran Contessa" (the Great Countess) is famous for her military exploits, having commanded her army in several battles against Emperor Henry III. It is said she was taught the art of horse riding, was able to wield a sword, axe, pike and lance, and had at least two suits of armour fitted for her.  The impact of having so many royal Matildas led to it being one of the most popular names from the 11th century to 14th century. Using poll tax data from ten English counties, Redmonds ranked the name as the fourth most popular name in 1377-81 behind Alice, Agnes and Joan. Though these records list the form Matilda, many of these women would have been known by vernacular forms such as Mahalt, Mahaud, Mahaut, Mald, Malt, Mault, Maude and Mold — now commonly rendered as Maud — or the pet-forms Motte, Till(a) and Tillot. These many many forms of the names led to numerous surnames, including Maud, Mahood, Malt, Maudson, Mawsom, Mold, Molson, Mott, Mowat, Till, Tillett, Tillison, Tillotson and Madison (though this could also derive from Matthew).  However, by the late 15th century Matilda was in steep decline and by the 16th century it was quite uncommon. So much so that even in the extensive frequency tables from 1538-1700 by Smith-Bannister the name Matilda does not appear in any given decade. After languishing for two centuries, Matilda was reinvented again in the 18th century, flourishing especially in the 19th century with the Victorians' love of everything medieval. Part of this trend also brought Maud back into usage, which went on to become even more popular than Matilda.  In 1880, Matilda ranked #59 in England and Wales; it fell to #79 in 1890 and was #97 in 1900, after which point it dropped out of the Top 100. The name was also #66 in Scotland in 1900, but similarly fell out of the Scottish Top 100 in the following years. Indeed, Matilda never made it into the Top 100 throughout the whole of the 20th century, and from 1930 to 1960 it was given to only 2 girls in every 10,000 born each year.  Maud lasted a little longer, having reached a higher peak of popularity in England and Wales than Matilda managed. Maud ranked #28 in 1880, #24 in 1890. #40 in 1900, #49 in 1904 and #64 in 1914, after which it fell out of fashion.  After this (once again) century-long spell out of favour, Matilda is now in its second revival. In 2000 in England and Wales, Matilda ranked #143 (323 births). By 2004 it had risen to #107 (494 births) and finally cracked the Top 100 again in 2005 at #89 (620 births). From then it continued to rise until 2009 when it reached #46 (1,285 births). In 2011, Matilda ranked at #48 with 1,225 births in England and Wales, and #158 in Scotland with 27 births. In 2012, Matilda was the second most popular name in both the Telegraph and Times birth announcements.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Matilda (892—968), Holy Roman Empress, wife of Henry I the Fowler, King of the East Franks. * Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031—1083), Queen of England, wife of William I of England. * Matilda of Tuscany (1046—1114), Countess of Tuscany and military leader.  * Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080—1118), Queen of England, wife of Henry I of England. * Empress Matilda (1102—1167), daughter of Henry I and de facto Queen of England in 1141 * Matilda of Boulogne (1104—1152), Queen of England, wife of Stephen of England. * Matilda (or Mafalda) of Savoy (1125—1158), First Queen of Portugal, wife of Afonso I.  * Mathilda d'Orozco (1796—1863), Italian -born Swedish composer. * Mathilda Rotkirch (1813—1842), considered to be the first female artist in Finland. * Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826—1898), American suffragist and abolitionist. Contemporary: * Mathilda May (b. 1965), French film actress. * Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant (b. 1973), wife of HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, heir apparent to the Belgian throne. * Matilda Rose Ledger (b. 2005), daughter of Heath Ledger Michelle Williams. Literature and Other Media: * Matilda Wormwood, title character in Roald Dahl's Matilda. * Mathilda, a novella by Mary Shelley. * Matilda, a song made famous by Harry Belafonte. Other: Waltzing Matilda, famous Australian folk song. Matilda was used as Australian slang for a traveller's bag of goods, hense waltzing Matilda meant 'someone travelling on foot with his goods'.

Variants:

Mathilda (Variant), Mathilde (French, German, Dutch), Matilde (Spanish, Portuguese), Matylda (Polish), Mafalda (Italian, Portuguese), Mechteld (Dutch), Mallt (Welsh)

Pronunciation:

mə-TILD-ə [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Dilly, Maddy, Mai, Mally, Matty, Maud, Milla, Milly, Tally, Tilda, Tilly

Sibling Names:

Amelia     Imogen     Catherine     Emmeline     Isabella     Victoria  Oscar     Edward     Henry      James     Louis     George

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Royal Names   Royal Names of Europe   Names from Jane Austen    Names from Tennyson   Names from the Bronte Sisters    Dickensian Names   Strong Names for Girls   Names of Roses

 

If you like Matilda you may also like:   Beatrice, Alexandra, Martha, Eleanor, Cecilia, Philippa, Tabitha, Florence, Georgina, Annabel

 

Thanks to Misha for requesting Matilda.