boy's name
Martin
mar-TAN
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 431,420
the United States
#335
2025 births
Martin is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "of Mars," borne by Saint Martin of Tours, whose cloak gave Europe the word chapel. It ranks thirty-fourth in France and is used across the whole continent, appearing in every market we hold.
- Martin is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1963, when 6,091 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,286 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Martin over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,600 |
| 1890s | 3,266 |
| 1900s | 3,363 |
| 1910s | 16,193 |
| 1920s | 24,406 |
| 1930s | 22,061 |
| 1940s | 31,498 |
| 1950s | 51,137 |
| 1960s | 49,338 |
| 1970s | 24,456 |
| 1980s | 23,461 |
| 1990s | 25,459 |
| 2000s | 18,793 |
| 2010s | 13,361 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,645 |
What Martin means
Martin means of Mars, or dedicated to Mars. It comes from the Latin Martinus, formed from the war god's name, though its Christian associations long ago displaced any martial sense.
Where Martin comes from
Martin descends from the Latin Martinus, a derivative of Mars. Its standing rests on Saint Martin of Tours, a fourth-century Roman soldier who cut his cloak in half to clothe a beggar at Amiens and later became bishop of Tours. The surviving half-cloak, the cappa, was carried by Frankish kings as a relic; the building that housed it was called the cappella, which gives English chapel and the priest who guarded it gave us chaplain. Saint Martin is a patron of France, and Martinmas on 11 November marked a major point in the agricultural year across northern Europe. The name spread to every European language and produced surnames in most of them.
Martin in use
Martin ranks thirty-fourth in France and appears in every market we hold: 102 in Ireland, 235 in Northern Ireland, 335 in the United States, 366 in England and Wales, 373 in Scotland. That evenness is rare in our data and reflects a saint venerated across both Catholic and Protestant Europe. Our American series shows its peak in 1963 with more than 6,000 births in that year alone.
How popular is Martin?
In 2025, Martin was given to 1,009 babies in the United States, ranking #335 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Martin is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Martin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Martin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Martin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Martin
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.
Martin 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 Martin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Martin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Martin
What does the name Martin mean?
Martin means "of Mars," from the Latin Martinus.
Who was Saint Martin of Tours?
A fourth-century soldier who cut his cloak in half for a beggar and became bishop of Tours. He is a patron saint of France.
Is Martin connected to the word chapel?
Yes. The building housing his cloak, the cappa, was called a cappella, which gives English chapel.
How widely is Martin used?
It appears in every market in our data, from 102 in Ireland to 373 in Scotland.
How popular is the name Martin?
In 2025, Martin was given to 1,009 babies in the United States, ranking #335 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Martin a girl's or a boy's name?
Martin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Martin?
Martin has 2 syllables.
When was Martin most popular?
Martin peaked in 1963, when 6,091 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Martin?
Martin is usually shortened to Marty and Mart.
Is Martin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Martin currently ranks #34 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.