Martha is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Martha means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Martha across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Martha has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Martha is a girl name of Aramaic origin meaning “lady, mistress”. a sister of Lazarus in the Gospels.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 553,732 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 14,913 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 882 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 378 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,653 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Martha per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1947 (10,673/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (868/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1967 (46/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2010 (44/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (27/yr).
Martha has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1947, when it ranked #60 nationally (given to 10,673 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1940s.
Mertha · Myrtha · Mirtha · Marthe · Myrth · Maretha · Marth · Marietha
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