girl's name
Martha
MAR-tha
- Origin Aramaic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 576,398
the United States
#712
2025 births
Martha is a girl's name of Aramaic origin meaning "lady" or "mistress of the house." It is the feminine of mar, lord, and belongs to the sister of Mary and Lazarus in the gospels.
- Martha is a name of Aramaic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1947, when 10,673 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,745 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Martha over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Martha is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 13,958 |
| 1890s | 19,474 |
| 1900s | 21,816 |
| 1910s | 59,670 |
| 1920s | 87,102 |
| 1930s | 78,074 |
| 1940s | 95,679 |
| 1950s | 83,395 |
| 1960s | 41,189 |
| 1970s | 18,036 |
| 1980s | 13,187 |
| 1990s | 9,809 |
| 2000s | 6,179 |
| 2010s | 3,743 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,421 |
What Martha means
Martha means lady, in the sense of the mistress of a household — one with authority over a home rather than a title of rank.
Where Martha comes from
Martha comes from the Aramaic marta, the feminine of mar, lord or master — the same mar behind Maranatha and, distantly, the disputed bitter reading of Miriam. In Luke, Martha is busy with serving while her sister Mary sits and listens, and Jesus gently corrects her; the passage made her the patron of cooks and housekeepers, and gave English the adjective Martha-ish for domestic industriousness. Martha Washington and Martha Gellhorn are among its best-known bearers.
Martha in use
Our data shows Martha stable, peaking in 1947, at 164 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880 and has never dropped out — an unbroken run of a century and a half, which is considerably rarer in our data than a peak followed by a revival.
How popular is Martha?
In 2025, Martha was given to 302 babies in England and Wales, ranking #164 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Martha is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Martha
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Martha also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Martha over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Martha
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Martha in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Martha
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Martha — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Martha
What does the name Martha mean?
Martha means "lady" or "mistress of the house," from the Aramaic marta.
Who was Martha in the Bible?
The sister of Mary and Lazarus. In Luke she is busy serving while Mary listens, and is gently corrected.
Is Martha related to Mary?
As a biblical sister, yes, but not linguistically — Martha is Aramaic for lady, Mary's origin is separate and disputed.
How popular is the name Martha?
In 2025, Martha was given to 302 babies in England and Wales, ranking #164 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Martha a girl's or a boy's name?
Martha is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Martha?
Martha has 2 syllables.
When was Martha most popular?
Martha peaked in 1947, when 10,673 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Martha?
Martha is usually shortened to Mattie, Marty and Patty.
Is Martha a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Martha currently ranks #110 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.