Gender Feminine
Scripts Μάρθα(Greek) Марѳа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced Pron. MAHR-thə(English) MAR-ta(German)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Aramaic מַרְתָּא (marta') meaning "the lady, the mistress", feminine form of מַר (mar) meaning "master". In the New Testament this is the name of the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany (who is sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene). She was a witness to Jesus restoring her dead brother to life.

The name was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was Martha Washington (1731-1802), the wife of the first American president George Washington. It is also borne by the media personality Martha Stewart (1941-).

Related Names

VariantsMarta(Swedish) Marte, Marthe(Norwegian) Marta(Dutch) Marta(German)
DiminutivesMartie, Patsy, Patti, Pattie, Patty(English)
Other Languages & CulturesMarta(Belarusian) Marta(Bulgarian) Marta(Catalan) Marta(Croatian) Marta(Czech) Marta(Estonian) Martta(Finnish) Marthe(French) Marta(Georgian) Márta, Mártuska(Hungarian) Marta(Icelandic) Marta(Italian) Marta(Latvian) Morta(Lithuanian) Marta(Macedonian) Marthese(Maltese) Maata(Maori) Matty(Medieval English) Marta(Polish) Marta(Portuguese) Marta(Romanian) Marfa, Marta(Russian) Marta(Serbian) Marta(Slovak) Marta(Slovene) Marta, Martita(Spanish) Marta(Ukrainian)
Same SpellingMärtha

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: January 19
Austria: July 29
Denmark: July 27
Greece: June 4

Images

Depiction of Martha of Bethany (1497)Depiction of Martha of Bethany (1497)

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Entry updated May 29, 2020