Maude
Maude was the 3367th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 46 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1888 (1,396). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4,121 places. More babies were named Maude in the 1880s than in any other decade.
Meaning form of Matilda; "mighty in battle" · French, Germanic
Say it MAWD /mɔd/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,367 girls, up 3,455 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 46girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 18881,396 babies
- Total since 1880
- 45,887babies recorded
What does the name Maude mean?
Maude (also Maud) is the medieval English form of Matilda, from Old French Mahaut. Matilda is a Germanic name made of maht, "might, power", and hild, "battle". DMNES lists many royal Matildas and records the English forms Mald and Mold in 1379; William the Conqueror's queen was Matilda. Wikipedia credits its 19th-century revival in part to Tennyson's poem Maud (1855). It was most common in the US in the 1880s.
maht (Old High German, “might, power”)hiltja (Old High German, “battle”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: IPA from Wiktionary's entry for Maud.
Related names: Maud, Matilda, Mathilde, Tilda.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maude', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maud', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mathilda', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Maud (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Maude popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 133 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,367 | 46 |
| 2020 | #6,822 | 17 |
| 2010 | #14,446 | 7 |
| 2000 | #12,656 | 7 |
| 1990 | #7,665 | 11 |
| 1980 | #6,174 | 11 |
| 1970 | #2,906 | 24 |
| 1960 | #1,611 | 49 |
| 1950 | #994 | 85 |
| 1940 | #583 | 145 |
| 1930 | #407 | 258 |
| 1920 | #249 | 695 |
| 1910 | #141 | 575 |
| 1900 | #77 | 1,013 |
| 1890 | #39 | 1,359 |
| 1880 | #21 | 859 |
How popular is Maude, counting every spelling?
Maude is the most common spelling of a name family that had 46 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 46 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maude | 46 | #3,367 | 174 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Maude?
46 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maude (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Maude born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 182 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maude.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maude?
About 2,500 people born in the US named Maude are alive today, with a median age of 72; half are between 47 and 83. That makes Maude a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Maude by state
How common Maude was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maude: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maude, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maude · Sibling names for Maude
Questions about the name Maude
What does Maude mean?
Maude means “form of Matilda; "mighty in battle"” (French, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Maude?
Maude was the 3367th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 46 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1888 (1,396). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4,121 places. More babies were named Maude in the 1880s than in any other decade.
Is Maude a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Maude in the US.
Where is Maude most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maude was most common in Utah (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.