Martha
Meaning
lady, mistress; Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, and historically Crown Princess Märtha, celebrated for aiding Norwegian refugees during WWII
Famously borne by Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
The story
Martha is Aramaic for lady or mistress of the house, the name of the practical, hospitable sister of Mary and Lazarus in the Gospels, and it has been a workhorse of the English-speaking world ever since, worn by Martha Washington at the very founding of the republic. Royalty has loved it too: Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, exiled to America during the Second World War, became a cherished friend of the Roosevelts and a tireless voice for occupied Norway, and her granddaughter Princess Märtha Louise carries the name today. In the United States Martha was a giant for generations, among the most popular girls' names at the end of the nineteenth century and solidly common through the 1950s, before easing gradually to the steady, quieter level it has held for decades: a classic that bends with fashion but simply refuses to disappear.
Martha in song
Martha My Dear
The Beatles (1968)
A brisk little piano piece named for McCartney's sheepdog, though it plays like a love song to a person and nobody minds.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Martha peaked in the 1890s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
11,730 people · the #1,526 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 17,241 · median age 55
Among people named Martha living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 100 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Martha
Most people given the name Martha in the United States were born between 1940 and 1979. The Martha you meet today is most often in her 60s or 70s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Martha deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Martha truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Martha fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Martha · Names of real princesses · Names of founders and builders
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