Matilyn
A feminine name combining the roots "mat" meaning "gift" and "lyn" meaning "lake".
Name Census estimates that about 924 living Americans carry the first name Matilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Matilyn today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Matilyn births was 2008 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Matilyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
924
~ 1 in 370,946 Americans
Peak year
2008
63 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,315
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Matilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Matilyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 413 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Matilyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Matilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Matilyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, Missouri recorded the most babies named Matilyn, while Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Matilyn
The name Matilyn is a relatively modern invention, likely derived from the combination of the name Matilda and the suffix -lyn, which is of English origin meaning "small lake" or "pool." Its roots can be traced back to the Germanic name Mahthildis, which was composed of the elements "maht" meaning "mighty" and "hild" meaning "battle."
While the name Matilda has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with notable figures such as Matilda of Flanders (1031-1083), Queen of England, and Matilda of Boulogne (1105-1152), Queen of England, the specific variation Matilyn appears to be a more recent coinage.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Matilyn can be found in the late 20th century, although its exact origin remains unclear. One notable bearer of the name was Matilyn Carty, a Trinidadian singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1990s.
Other notable individuals with the name Matilyn include Matilyn Hubler, an American writer and artist born in 1979, and Matilyn Mayers, a South African blogger and social media influencer active in the 2010s.
While the name Matilyn may not have a long and storied history like many ancient names, its unique blend of traditional elements and modern flair has contributed to its growing popularity in recent decades. As a relatively new name, its future significance and legacy remain to be seen, but it has already left its mark on various cultural spheres.
People
Matilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Matilyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Matilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Matilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 924 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Matilyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 370,946 US residents.
Is Matilyn a common name?
We classify Matilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 936 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Matilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Matilyn was 2008, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Matilyn is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Matilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Matilyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.