Romance form of Matilda, from Germanic 'maht' (might) and 'hild' (battle), meaning 'mighty in battle.'
Matilde is the Romance-language form — Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese — of the ancient Germanic name Mathildis, built from two powerful Old High German elements: 'maht' (strength, might) and 'hild' (battle). The name thus means something close to 'mighty in battle,' a meaning that proved strikingly apt for its most famous medieval bearer. Matilda of Tuscany (1046–1115) was one of the most powerful rulers of medieval Europe — a countess who commanded armies, crossed the Alps in winter, and held the Pope's political alliance while Holy Roman Emperors besieged her castles.
Her contemporary Empress Matilda fought an outright civil war for the English throne, plunging England into the period of chaos known as 'The Anarchy.' The name spread richly through European royal houses and took on different phonetic clothing in each culture: Mathilde in French and German, Matilda in English, Maud in its medieval clipped form, and Matilde across the Mediterranean south. In Australia, 'Waltzing Matilda' — the unofficial national anthem — gave the name an entirely different connotation: a swagman's rolled-up blanket, and by extension a spirit of wandering independence that is quintessentially Australian.
Matilde has undergone a remarkable revival across Southern Europe and Latin America, where it never entirely went away but has surged back into fashion. In Italy and Brazil especially, it reads as both warmly traditional and freshly chosen. The nickname 'Mati' (MAH-tee) has made it particularly appealing to younger parents who want the full formal name on the birth certificate alongside a playful everyday version. It is a name with a thousand years of strong women behind it.