Mattie is a pet form of Matilda, the Germanic name meaning "mighty in battle", and sometimes of Martha; it was common on its own in the United States around 1900. Mattie Ross, the steely 14-year-old narrator of True Grit, is its best-known fictional bearer. The name ranked number 756 in 2000 and peaked at number 701 in 2001; it has held just outside the top 1000 for a decade and ranks number 1005 in 2025.