Namewise

Martin

maleLatin (Ancient Roman)

From the Roman name Martinus, connected to Mars, the Roman god of war. Widely known through Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop and patron saint of France.

Origin: Latin (Ancient Roman)

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Norway in 2004. See regions.

Martin: Recorded every year since 1945, it reached #1 in 1992, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

MAR-tin/ˈmɑɹ.tɪn/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Latin (Ancient Roman)
Meaning
From the Roman name Martinus, connected to Mars, the Roman god of war. Widely known through Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop and patron saint of France.
Pronunciation
MAR-tin
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
male
Language family
Latin (Ancient Roman)

Popularity

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Boys rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #109 to #363.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#109#363
View as table
England and Wales · Boys rank by year
YearRank
1996#109
1997#124
1998#133
1999#138
2000#162
2001#177
2002#206
2003#210
2004#203
2005#216
2006#253
2007#234
2008#260
2009#257
2010#267
2011#244
2012#259
2013#268
2014#247
2015#242
2016#252
2017#259
2018#225
2019#262
2020#281
2021#240
2022#317
2023#301
2024#346
2025#363

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in every year from 1945 to 2025.

In 2025: #69 among boys in Norway, #102 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #363 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 19452025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #83 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #363 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

From the Roman name Martinus, connected to Mars, the Roman god of war. Widely known through Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop and patron saint of France.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Latin (Ancient Roman)

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Martin is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Martin, between 1945 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Norway1945–202581#1 in 1992
New South Wales, Australia1952–199241#41 in 1967
New Zealand1954–199232#34 in 1963
Republic of Ireland1964–202562#9 in 1964
England and Wales1996–202530#109 in 1996
Northern Ireland1997–202428#49 in 1997
Scotland20241#352 in 2024

Its high point came 61 years earlier in New Zealand (1963) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

MAR-tin/ˈmɑɹ.tɪn/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Martin Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Martin in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.