UK girl's name
Maranatha
An Aramaic phrase meaning "Come, O Lord" or "The Lord is coming.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Maranatha is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Maranatha popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4634, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 5 births.
This profile covers 19 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2015 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 80% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 19 living people in the UK are called Maranatha. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Maranatha ranked #4634 for girls in England and Wales in 2021, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 5 girls were registered as Maranatha.
- • About 19 living people in the UK are estimated to have Maranatha as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4634
2021
Births in 2021
4
Latest year
Peak year
2015
5 births
Estimated living
19
2026
Meaning
What does Maranatha mean?
Maranatha is an Aramaic phrase that means "the Lord comes" or "the Lord is coming." It is believed to have originated in the 1st century AD, during the time of the early Christian church. This phrase was likely used by the Aramaic-speaking Jews and early Christians in the region of ancient Syria and Mesopotamia.
The phrase Maranatha is found in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in 1 Corinthians 16:22, where it is used as an expression of faith and hope in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. It is one of the few Aramaic words that have been preserved in the Greek text of the New Testament.
In the early centuries of Christianity, Maranatha was adopted as a given name by some Christians, as a way of expressing their belief in the Second Coming of Christ. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Maranatha of Antioch, who lived in the 4th century AD and was a prominent Christian theologian and bishop in the city of Antioch (modern-day Turkey).
Another notable figure named Maranatha was an 8th-century Syrian monk and scholar who was known for his work in preserving and translating ancient Greek and Syriac texts. He is sometimes referred to as Maranatha of Edessa, after the city of Edessa (modern-day Şanlıurfa, Turkey) where he lived and worked.
In the Middle Ages, the name Maranatha was occasionally used by Christians in Europe, particularly in regions with strong connections to the Eastern Christian traditions, such as Italy and Greece. One example is Maranatha of Pisa, an Italian monk and scholar who lived in the 12th century and is known for his work on Greek and Latin manuscripts.
In more recent times, the name Maranatha has been used occasionally by Christians in various parts of the world, particularly those with roots in the Eastern Christian traditions or those influenced by the revivalist movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Some other notable individuals named Maranatha include Maranatha Andrew Maiden (1836-1890), an English Congregationalist minister and author; Maranatha Isthara (1914-2000), an Indian Christian evangelist and founder of a Christian organization; and Maranatha Pawan Kumar (born 1978), an Indian Christian evangelist and author.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Maranatha over time
The chart below shows babies named Maranatha registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2015 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Maranatha, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2021, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maranatha by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Maranatha was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5064 | 7 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4818 | 12 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Maranatha
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Maranatha: questions and answers
How popular is the name Maranatha in the UK right now?
In 2021, Maranatha was ranked #4634 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Maranatha most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 5 babies registered as Maranatha in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Maranatha?
An Aramaic phrase meaning "Come, O Lord" or "The Lord is coming.".
How many people are called Maranatha in the UK?
A total of 19 babies have been registered as Maranatha across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.