BabyNameScore

Tilly

TIL·ee · 2 syllables

Tilly feels distinctive without creating everyday friction in daily use.

89/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Effortless

    A documented English pronunciation is on file: TIL-ee (/ˈtɪl.i/).

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

NAME DETAILS

CLOSE SPELLINGS
Tillie
Tilley
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
Mathilde
Matilda
Mafalda
ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

Tilly is the affectionate English diminutive of Matilda, a Germanic name combining maht ("might/strength") and hild ("battle"). It became especially popular among Norman nobility after 1066, was revived as an independent given name in Victorian England, and has seen a further resurgence in recent decades.

  1. Matilda / Mahthild (Germanic). "Might, strength" plus "battle" — inherited from Matilda, from the Germanic elements maht ("might/strength") and hild ("battle"), of which Tilly is the documented diminutive. Matilda was particularly popular among Norman nobility following the 1066 Norman Conquest; Tilly emerged as its affectionate medieval English shortening and saw a notable revival in late 19th-century England, continuing today as part of the broader trend toward reviving vintage diminutive names.
POPULARITY

Tilly over time

United States
#885RANK

Rank #885 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Uncommon in current U.S. usage. Ranked #885 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

TIL·ee

STRESS ON THE FIRST SYLLABLE

CLOSE SPELLINGS
  • Tillie
  • Tilley
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
  • MathildeFR/DE/NO
  • MatildaFI/SK/SL
  • MafaldaIT/PT/ES

Names around it

Matilda
EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Tilly is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

A documented English pronunciation is on file. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Tilly