Given name & surname
Maude
“one who is mighty in battle”
Maude is a variant of Maud. In German use, Maud carries the interpretation “one who is mighty in battle.”
Original FrenchMathilde
Meaning & origin
What it means
Maude is a variant of Maud. In German use, Maud carries the interpretation “one who is mighty in battle.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Maude is a form of Maud. Maud comes from Old French.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In French usage, Maude is a diminutive of Maud. In French usage, Maude is a diminutive of Mathilde.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Maude is a variant of Maud. The history of Maud gives this family its wider story. The family of forms includes Maud and Matilda, names borne by prominent medieval royal women. Alfred Tennyson’s poem Maud, published in 1855, later helped renew interest in the shorter spelling.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Maude through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 45,887
- 133 boys · 45,754 girls
- Most popular year
- 1888
- 1,406 babies
- 2025
- 46
- #3,367 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +72%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 46 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,367 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 72.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,396 in 1888. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,252 as a first name in 2020; 456 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Maude’s family of names
In English usage, Maude has an affectionate form in Maudie. Maude has a related form in Maud. In French usage, Maude is a diminutive of Maud.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Maude
- Maude ApatowAmerican actress (born 1997)
- Maude AdamsAmerican actress (1872–1953)
- Maude CharronCanadian weightlifterborn 1993
- Merna Kennedyactress (1908-1944)
- Maude FealyAmerican actress (1883–1971)
- Maude AbbottCanadian physician (1868–1940)
- Maude HirstBritish actressborn 1988
- Maude GeorgeAmerican actress (1888-1963)
- Maude BarlowCanadian writer and activistborn 1947
Characters named Maude: Maude Flanders (character of The Simpsons).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Maude, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Lulu
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Meta
Meta is used as a given name and a surname. Meta is connected with Margaret.
>99% girls