Maude

Maude (Maud) developed as the medieval Anglo-Saxon form of Matilda, which itself is the Latinized form of an Old German female personal name Mahthildis (Olde English: Mæðhilde). Mahthildis is comprised of the Germanic elements “maht” meaning “might” and “hild” meaning “battle”. Therefore, the name essentially means “mighty battler” or “strength in battle”. Saint Matilda was the 10th century wife of Henry the Fowler, King of the Germans, noted for her devotion to prayer and generous almsgiving. The name was made popular in her honor mainly around the regions of Saxony and Bavaria. The Norman-French would introduce Mahthildis to the English following the Norman Conquest of 1066. In fact, William the Conqueror’s own wife was called Matilda of Flanders. After William’s conquest of England he became King of England and Matilda was his Queen Consort. Queen Matilda was also a baby-making machine, delivering nine children to William, including two future kings of England (William II and Henry I). The English adopted the name as Mæðhilde in their own language but were more apt to use the colloquial form of Maud (which is what they called their queen). Maud fell out of favor by the 15th century but was later revived in the 19th century, possibly influenced by Alfred Lord Tennyson’s 1855 poem “Maud”. Today Maud is most commonly used among the Dutch in the Netherlands, but it also appears on the naming charts of France. Modern English-speakers are more inclined to spell it with an “e” (Maude), but neither spelling is used with much regularity now.