girl's name
Hilda
HIL-duh
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 83,166
Scotland
#515
1976 births
Hilda means battle, and it is the surviving fragment of longer Germanic names — Hildegard, Brunhild and Matilda all contain it, and the element outlived most of the compounds it belonged to. Its strongest market is England and Wales, at 1891st.
- Hilda is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 2,137 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 60,281 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hilda over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,280 |
| 1890s | 4,732 |
| 1900s | 6,790 |
| 1910s | 15,707 |
| 1920s | 18,251 |
| 1930s | 9,492 |
| 1940s | 7,572 |
| 1950s | 6,313 |
| 1960s | 3,596 |
| 1970s | 2,587 |
| 1980s | 1,927 |
| 1990s | 1,362 |
| 2000s | 827 |
| 2010s | 448 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 316 |
What Hilda means
Hilda means battle. The Germanic hild names combat directly, and it functioned as a name element rather than as a description of the person carrying it.
Where Hilda comes from
Hilda is a short form of Germanic names containing hild, battle — Hildegard, battle-enclosure, Brunhild, armoured battle, and Matilda, mighty in battle, among many. Valkyrie names draw heavily on it. Saint Hilda of Whitby presided over the synod of 664 that settled how the English church would calculate Easter, and Bede describes kings and bishops seeking her advice, which is unusual for a woman in his account.
Hilda in use
Hilda peaked in the United States in 1921, when 2,137 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 1,891st in England and Wales on 16 births, 2316th in France on 15 and 3025th in the United States on 41 — across 83,166 lifetime births. England ranks it above both other markets.
How popular is Hilda?
In 2025, Hilda was given to 55 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Hilda is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hilda
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hilda also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hilda over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Hilda in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hilda
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hilda — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hilda
What does the name Hilda mean?
Battle — the Germanic hild, which appears in Hildegard, Brunhild and Matilda.
Who was Saint Hilda?
The abbess of Whitby who presided over the synod of 664 that settled the English church's dating of Easter.
Is Matilda related?
In its second element — maht, might, joined to the same hild, battle.
How popular is Hilda?
1891st in England and Wales, and our data marks it stable.
Is Hilda a girl's or a boy's name?
Hilda is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hilda?
Hilda has 2 syllables.
Is Hilda a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hilda currently ranks #1,891 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.