girls' name ★ peaked 1947

Martha

Meaning A female given name from Aramaic of biblical origin Gender Girl Rank 2025 #713 Trend ↑ Rising 25%

A female given name from Aramaic of biblical origin.

Rank 2025
#713
among girls · ↓47 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
393
named Martha · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,090
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1947
10,673 babies
All-time total
553,732
#55 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Martha popularity over time

553,732 babies have been named Martha since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 13,911 47 13,958 1,396 – #14
1890s 19,415 59 19,474 1,947 +40% #21
1900s 21,750 66 21,816 2,182 +12% #28
1910s 59,508 162 59,670 5,967 +174% #22
1920s 86,788 314 87,102 8,710 +46% #21
1930s 77,697 377 78,074 7,807 -10% #24
1940s 95,384 295 95,679 9,568 +23% #25
1950s 83,190 205 83,395 8,340 -13% #32
1960s 41,040 149 41,189 4,119 -51% #81
1970s 17,926 110 18,036 1,804 -56% #143
1980s 13,039 148 13,187 1,319 -27% #175
1990s 9,750 59 9,809 981 -26% #224
2000s 6,179 – 6,179 618 -37% #373
2010s 3,743 – 3,743 374 -39% #693
2020s (to 2025) 2,421 – 2,421 404 +8% #666

Where Martha is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 406 0.25 outside top 500
2027 417 0.26 outside top 500
2028 427 0.27 outside top 500
2029 436 0.27 outside top 500
2030 443 0.28 outside top 500

Where Martha is most popular

Girls named Martha per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.255 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Martha born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 239 1.01 +297%
Kentucky 55 0.643 +152%
Indiana 78 0.556 +118%
Wisconsin 54 0.524 +106%
Ohio 117 0.493 +94%
Tennessee 71 0.448 +76%
Alabama 38 0.405 +59%
Missouri 48 0.398 +56%
North Carolina 79 0.347 +36%
Iowa 20 0.342 +34%
Virginia 52 0.305 +20%
Oklahoma 21 0.285 +12%
Texas 228 0.283 +11%
South Carolina 25 0.278 +9%
Minnesota 30 0.278 +9%
Mississippi 13 0.278 +9%
New York 107 0.270 +6%
Michigan 49 0.269 +6%
Kansas 15 0.260 ≈ national
Washington 35 0.242 -5%
Georgia 54 0.238 -7%
Illinois 52 0.227 -11%
Arizona 28 0.200 -22%
California 164 0.195 -23%
Arkansas 8 0.151 -41%
Florida 64 0.150 -41%
Maryland 15 0.142 -44%
Louisiana 12 0.137 -46%
Utah 11 0.132 -48%
Colorado 12 0.108 -58%
New Jersey 18 0.100 -61%
Oregon 6 0.092 -64%
Massachusetts 11 0.091 -64%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -66%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Martha

Martha is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #713 in 2025 with 393 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 553,732 American babies have been named Martha. Its peak came in 1947, when 10,673 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Martha stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Martha?

The median living Martha is about 71 years old; half are between 59 and 79. An estimated 243 thousand people named Martha are alive in the United States today.

median 71 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Martha year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 393 #713 – –
2024 435 #666 – –
2023 439 #671 – –
2022 405 #724 – –
2021 395 #725 – –
2020 354 #767 – –
2019 349 #794 – –
2018 349 #784 – –
2017 376 #746 – –
2016 397 #717 – –
2015 367 #772 – –
2014 383 #735 – –
2013 344 #793 – –
2012 392 #714 – –
2011 374 #739 – –
2010 412 #693 – –
2009 451 #658 – –
2008 505 #606 – –
2007 531 #566 – –
2006 583 #519 – –
2005 601 #503 – –
2004 603 #487 – –
2003 640 #466 – –
2002 718 #405 – –
2001 759 #384 – –
2000 788 #373 – –
1995 928 #299 11 #5,386
1990 1,267 #224 16 #3,717
1985 1,221 #211 19 #2,665
1980 1,555 #178 14 #3,193
1975 1,792 #149 14 #2,853
1970 2,368 #143 14 #2,589
1965 3,801 #99 16 #2,045
1960 5,831 #83 18 #1,954
1955 7,930 #53 19 #1,829
1950 9,839 #32 15 #1,994
1945 8,752 #30 22 #1,431
1940 8,695 #26 45 #962
1935 7,621 #24 36 #1,090
1930 7,832 #27 35 #1,209
1925 8,762 #23 39 #1,138
1920 8,709 #23 19 #1,854
1915 7,216 #25 19 #1,641
1910 2,858 #28 13 #913
1905 2,091 #32 6 #1,184
1900 2,437 #28 9 #945
1895 2,096 #25 9 #779
1890 1,784 #22 5 #1,100
1885 1,425 #17 5 #1,034
1880 1,040 #16 – –

Famous people named Martha

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Martha Plimpton Martha Plimpton American actress (born 1970) Contemporary
  2. 2 Martha Stewart Martha Stewart American businesswoman, writer, TV personality (born 1941) Contemporary
  3. 3 Martha Washington Martha Washington First Lady of the United States from 1789 to 1797 1731–1802 · 18th century
  4. 4 Martha Reeves Martha Reeves American singer (born 1941) Contemporary
  5. 5 Martha Jefferson First Lady of Virginia, wife of Thomas Jefferson (1748–1782) 18th century
  6. 6 Martha Gellhorn Martha Gellhorn American war correspondent (1908–1998) Contemporary
  7. 7 Martha Argerich Martha Argerich Argentine pianist (born 1941) Contemporary
  8. 8 Martha Hyer Martha Hyer American actress (1924–2014) Contemporary
  9. 9 Martha Jefferson Randolph Martha Jefferson Randolph First Lady of the United States from 1801 to 1809 1772–1836 · 18th century
  10. 10 Martha Graham Martha Graham American dancer and choreographer (1894–1991) 19th century
  11. 11 Martha Vickers Martha Vickers American actress (1925–1971) Contemporary
  12. 12 Martha Nussbaum Martha Nussbaum American philosopher and academic (born 1947) Contemporary
  13. 13 Martha Raye Martha Raye American comic actress and singer (1916–1994) Contemporary
  14. 14 Martha Higareda Martha Higareda Mexican actress, writer, producer (b. 1983) Contemporary
  15. 15 Martha Scott Martha Scott American actress (1912–2003) Contemporary
  16. 16 Martha McSally Martha McSally American politician and military pilot (born 1966) Contemporary
  17. 17 Martha Wainwright Martha Wainwright Canadian musician b. 1976 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Martha Hunt Martha Hunt American model (born 1989) Contemporary
  19. 19 Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge American filmmaker (born 1946) Contemporary
  20. 20 Martha Mansfield Martha Mansfield American actress (1899–1923) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Martha, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Martha?

The median living Martha is about 71 years old. Half of all living Marthas are between 59 and 79 years old.

How many people named Martha are alive today?

An estimated 243 thousand people named Martha are alive in the United States, based on 553,732 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Martha mean?

A female given name from Aramaic of biblical origin.

How popular is the name Martha in 2025?

Martha ranked #713 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 393 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Martha?

553,732 babies have been named Martha in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Martha most popular?

Martha peaked in 1947, when 10,673 newborns received the name.

Is Martha a boy or girl name?

Martha is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Martha rising or falling?

Martha is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Martha become more popular?

Martha is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 443 girls named Martha in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Martha?

Well-known people named Martha include Martha Plimpton (actor), Martha Stewart (businessperson), Martha Washington (companion).

Names like Martha

Names that sound and feel close to Martha: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Martha with similar names → More names starting with M →