Matilda ranks at #392 with 316 entries, leaning female. A Germanic name ("mighty in battle"), Matilda carries a distinctive combination of formal vintage weight and contemporary cultural warmth — old enough to feel substantial, but with multiple recent pop-culture refreshes that keep it lively rather than dusty.
The Roald Dahl lineage
Matilda the book (Roald Dahl, 1988) and the 1996 film (Mara Wilson) are dominant cultural anchors for millennial owners. The 2022 musical film added another layer for a younger generation. The character — small, smart, quietly powerful — gives the name a beloved bookish-girl tone that owners often pick for pets they read as gentle but observant. The Matilda baby name page shows the SSA chart climbing through the 2010s.
The Heath Ledger layer
Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda (born 2005) brought another wave of cultural attention to the name through the late 2000s and the years after his death. Combined with the broader vintage-revival trend, this kept the name in active rotation longer than it would have run otherwise.
Sound and breed fit
The three-syllable shape (mah-TIL-dah) has a flowing rhythm and a singable trailing vowel, projection-friendly across distance. Matilda lands disproportionately on medium-to-large dogs with calm, dignified temperaments — Goldens, Labs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and gentle mixed breeds. The name suits a pet with adult presence rather than puppy-cute energy, and most Matildas are described by their owners as quietly self-possessed.