NameRealm
Tilly

Tilly: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“battle strength”
Origin
Germanic
Say it
TIL-ee · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

Usually a diminutive of Matilda, from Germanic elements meaning 'might, strength' and 'battle'. It can also shorten Ottilie or names ending in -tilde in some traditions.

English namesNames meaning strengthNames meaning warriorNames meaning braveVintage namesShort namesClassic names

How popular is Tilly?

202482.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Tilly in 2024273

2024 rank#953 girls

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 18802,395

Tilly is rising: use over the last five years is 4.2× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Tilly

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Matildabattle-mighty · Germanic
  • Maddisonson of Maud · English
  • Maudemighty in battle · Germanic
  • Maudmighty in battle · Germanic
  • Emmawhole, universal · Germanic
  • Ameliawork · Germanic
  • Ellaall, completely · Germanic
  • Alicenoble type · Germanic

Tilly questions

What does the name Tilly mean?

Tilly means "battle strength". It comes from Germanic. Usually a diminutive of Matilda, from Germanic elements meaning 'might, strength' and 'battle'. It can also shorten Ottilie or names ending in -tilde in some traditions.

Is Tilly a boy or girl name?

Tilly is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Tilly?

273 US babies were named Tilly in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Tilly?

Tilly is usually pronounced TIL-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.