Diminutive of Matilda, from Germanic 'maht' (might) and 'hild' (battle), meaning 'mighty in battle.'
Tilda began as a shortened form of Matilda, which comes from the Old High German *Mahthildis*, composed of *maht* (might, strength) and *hild* (battle). The full name was borne by some of medieval Europe's most consequential women: Empress Matilda, who fought a civil war for the English throne in the twelfth century; Saint Matilda of Ringelheim, wife of the German king Henry the Fowler; and the Countess Matilda of Tuscany, who helped broker the Investiture Controversy between pope and emperor. The name arrived in England with the Norman Conquest and was immediately established among the ruling class.
Tilda as a standalone name emerged in Scandinavian countries, where short forms of classical names were commonly used independently — a habit that gave English naming culture many of its best vintage shortenings. The name gained its most powerful modern association through the Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, whose otherworldly, androgynous screen presence turned the name into something almost elemental. Her Oscar-winning performance in *Michael Clayton* and her roles in the *Narnia* films cemented an image of icy, cerebral power that suits the name's warrior etymology surprisingly well.
Tilda has risen steadily in the twenty-first century, particularly in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. It offers the gentle, fairy-tale warmth of vintage femininity while the underlying Matilda meaning keeps it fierce. Parents who love the full Matilda but want something crisper and less expected on a daily basis have made Tilda its own complete name rather than merely a nickname.