# Martha (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/martha/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Aramaic |
| Meaning | “mistress” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɑɹθə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Mattie, Patsy, Marty |
| Variant spellings | Marta |
| US babies named this | 553,732 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,991 / 551,741 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 15,418, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* From Latin Martha, from Ancient Greek Μάρθα (Mártha), from Aramaic מָרְתָא (mārtā, “mistress”), feminine of מרא (mārā). Doublet of Marfa. * (humidity chamber): From the use of Martha Stewart-branded storage closets in the construction of early units.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 374 | 739 |
| 2012 | 392 | 714 |
| 2013 | 344 | 793 |
| 2014 | 383 | 735 |
| 2015 | 367 | 772 |
| 2016 | 397 | 717 |
| 2017 | 376 | 746 |
| 2018 | 349 | 784 |
| 2019 | 349 | 794 |
| 2020 | 354 | 767 |
| 2021 | 395 | 725 |
| 2022 | 405 | 724 |
| 2023 | 439 | 671 |
| 2024 | 435 | 666 |
| 2025 | 393 | 713 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 9 | 4,381 |
| 1982 | 17 | 2,782 |
| 1983 | 17 | 2,751 |
| 1984 | 16 | 2,901 |
| 1985 | 19 | 2,665 |
| 1986 | 10 | 4,349 |
| 1987 | 10 | 4,464 |
| 1988 | 16 | 3,297 |
| 1989 | 20 | 3,052 |
| 1990 | 16 | 3,717 |
| 1991 | 7 | 7,009 |
| 1992 | 10 | 5,514 |
| 1993 | 7 | 7,326 |
| 1994 | 8 | 6,767 |
| 1995 | 11 | 5,386 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 723 | 83 |
| 2012 | 770 | 77 |
| 2013 | 756 | 73 |
| 2014 | 807 | 69 |
| 2015 | 868 | 67 |
| 2016 | 756 | 75 |
| 2017 | 718 | 76 |
| 2018 | 560 | 94 |
| 2019 | 552 | 95 |
| 2020 | 422 | 115 |
| 2021 | 505 | 103 |
| 2022 | 456 | 110 |
| 2023 | 438 | 111 |
| 2024 | 317 | 159 |
| 2025 | 302 | 164 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: مَرْثَا
- Catalan: Marta
- Chinese: 瑪莎 /玛莎, 瑪爾塔 /玛尔塔
- Danish: Martha
- Dutch: Martha
- Estonian: Marta
- Finnish: Martta
- French: Marthe
- German: Martha
- Hebrew: מָרְתָא
- Hindi: मार्था
- Hungarian: Márta
- Icelandic: Marta
- Italian: Marta
- Japanese: マーサ
- Latvian: Marta
- Lithuanian: Morta
- Norwegian: Marta
- Polish: Marta
- Portuguese: Marta

## People named Martha

- Martha Washington, First Lady of the United States from 1789 to 1797
- Martha Argerich, Argentine pianist (1941-)
- Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (1894–1991)
- Martha Stewart, American businesswoman, writer, TV personality (born 1941)
- Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher (born 1947)
- Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway (1901–1954)
- Martha Jefferson Randolph, First Lady of the United States from 1801 to 1809
- Martha Scott, American actress (1912–2003)
- Martha Chase, American geneticist
- Martha Plimpton, American actress
- Martha McSally, American politician and military pilot (born 1966)
- Martha Hyer, American actress (1924–2014)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.