girl's name
Marthe
MART
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 123,291
France
#875
2025 births
Marthe means the lady, and it is one of very few widely used names that came into European use from Aramaic rather than Hebrew, Greek or Latin. It ranks 875th in France. It peaked in 1908 and has 123,278 lifetime births behind it.
- Marthe is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1908, when 4,560 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 13,100 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Marthe over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 42,385 |
| 1910s | 30,915 |
| 1920s | 26,750 |
| 1930s | 12,290 |
| 1940s | 5,350 |
| 1950s | 2,150 |
| 1960s | 860 |
| 1970s | 375 |
| 1980s | 410 |
| 1990s | 440 |
| 2000s | 465 |
| 2010s | 355 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 235 |
What Marthe means
Marthe means the lady, or mistress of the house. The Aramaic marta is the feminine of mar, a lord, so the name is a title used directly as a name.
Where Marthe comes from
Marthe is the French form of Martha, the Aramaic marta — a lady or mistress, feminine of mar, lord. Aramaic was the everyday language of first-century Judaea, so a handful of New Testament names come from it rather than from Hebrew: Martha, Thomas, Tabitha and Cephas among them. The Martha of the Gospels complains that her sister Mary sits listening while she does the work, and she became the patron of cooks, housekeepers and servants on the strength of that one scene.
Marthe in use
Marthe peaked in France in 1908, when 4,560 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 875th in France on 45 births, across 123,291 lifetime births. A 1908 peak makes it the earliest-peaking name in this group by twelve years.
How popular is Marthe?
In 2025, Marthe was given to 45 babies in France, ranking #875 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Marthe is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Marthe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Marthe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Marthe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Marthe
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.
Marthe 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 Marthe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Marthe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Marthe
What does the name Marthe mean?
The lady — the Aramaic marta, feminine of mar, a lord.
Is Martha Aramaic rather than Hebrew?
Yes, along with Thomas, Tabitha and Cephas — Aramaic was the everyday language of first-century Judaea.
Why is Martha the patron of cooks?
From the one Gospel scene where she does the work while her sister listens.
How popular is Marthe?
875th in France, and our data marks it stable.
Is Marthe a girl's or a boy's name?
Marthe is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Marthe?
Marthe has 1 syllable.
What are the nicknames for Marthe?
Marthe is usually shortened to Marthy.
Is Marthe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Marthe currently ranks #875 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.