Martha
Martha is a feminine given name. Patti, Patsy, and Patty were in use in Colonial America as English rhyming diminutives of the diminutive Mattie. Molly has been used as a diminutive of Martha since the 18th century.
- English
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
Meaning & Origin of Martha
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Martha is a feminine given name. Patti, Patsy, and Patty were in use in Colonial America as English rhyming diminutives of the diminutive Mattie. Molly has been used as a diminutive of Martha since the 18th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Dutch
- German
- Greek
- Spanish
- Biblical
- Biblical Greek
- Biblical Latin
- Old Church Slavic
The Story of Martha
The earliest SSA record of Martha as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 1,040 babies received it. 1947 was its biggest year on record, with 10,652 newborns named Martha — #32 in the national rankings. As of 2026, Martha ranks #650 for baby girls with 455 births, rising sharply (+19% over the past five years). All told, over 552K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Martha
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Martha. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Martha
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Saint Martha , several people
- Martha daughter of Boethus , 1st century Jewish woman
- Martha of Armagnac (1347–1378), French youngest child of John I, Count of Armagnac
- Martha of Denmark (1277–1341), Swedish Queen
- Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 1971), Norwegian princess and businesswoman
- Princess Märtha of Sweden (1901–1954), Swedish princess
- Martha A. B. Conine , American politician and women's suffragist
- Martha A. Boughton (1857–1928), American author, educator, poet, and clubwoman
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Martha
Phonetically similar names — useful when Martha is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Martha
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About the name Martha
Martha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 552K births in the dataset. Martha's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #14. Use the chart and map above to compare Martha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1947 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.