NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Marta

A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "lady" or "mistress".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Marta is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Marta popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #934, with 38 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 71 births.

This profile covers 1,018 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 54% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,081 living people in the UK are called Marta. 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 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Marta ranked #934 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 38 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2010, when 71 girls were registered as Marta.
  • Marta ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.
  • About 1,081 living people in the UK are estimated to have Marta as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#934

2024

Births in 2024

38

Latest year

Peak year

2010

71 births

Estimated living

1,081

2026

Meaning

What does Marta mean?

The name Marta has its origins in the Aramaic language, which was spoken in ancient times in the Middle East. It is derived from the Aramaic word "marta," meaning "mistress" or "lady." This name was likely introduced into various cultures and languages through trade and cultural exchange along the Silk Road and other ancient trade routes.

In the Bible, Marta is the name given to the sister of Lazarus and Mary, who is mentioned in the Gospel of John. This biblical reference likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the name among early Christian communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marta can be found in the writings of the ancient Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who lived in the first century AD. He mentioned a woman named Marta in his work "Naturalis Historia."

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Marta. One of the most famous was Marta of Béthanie, a medieval French saint who lived in the 12th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.

Another notable Marta was Marta Abreu, a 19th-century Cuban businesswoman and philanthropist who was born in 1845 and played a significant role in the development of the sugar industry in Cuba.

In the world of literature, Marta Hillers was a 20th-century Austrian writer and poet, born in 1911, who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and the human condition.

The name Marta also has a strong presence in the arts. Marta Eggerth, born in 1912, was a Hungarian-American actress and operetta singer who achieved success on both stage and screen in the mid-20th century.

In the realm of sports, Marta Vieira da Silva, born in 1986, is a Brazilian professional footballer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest female players of all time. She has won numerous accolades, including being named FIFA World Player of the Year six times.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Marta over time

The chart below shows babies named Marta registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Marta, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 38 births in 2024, compared with 71 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Marta
018365371199620102024

Decades

Marta by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Marta 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 #895 203 5
2010s #729 548 10
2000s #1344 230 10
1990s #1825 37 4

Geography

Where Marta is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Marta. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Marta ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #418 in 2022.

Scotland
5
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Marta in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#544 in 2020

11 years of NRS records, 53 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#418 in 2022

4 years of NISRA records, 15 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Marta

  • Marta Trojanová

    actor; writer

    Czech actor and translator

    2000-

  • Marta Bakowska-Mathews

    association football player

    English footballer

    1993-

  • Marta Hazas

    actor; model; journalist

    Spanish actress and model

    1977-

  • Marta Stypulkowska

    (born 1967)

    1967-

  • Marta Maretich

    (born 1964)

    1964-

  • Marta Andreasen

    politician; accountant

    Argentine-born Spanish accountant and politician (born 1954)

    1954-

  • Marta Krupinscka

  • Marta Tufet

    researcher

    British biologist and public health research coordinator

Related

Names similar to Marta

FAQ

Marta: questions and answers

How popular is the name Marta in the UK right now?

In 2024, Marta was ranked #934 for girls in England and Wales, with 38 births registered.

When was Marta most popular?

The peak year on record was 2010, with 71 babies registered as Marta in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Marta?

A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "lady" or "mistress".

How many people are called Marta in the UK?

A total of 1,018 babies have been registered as Marta across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 53 more in Scotland and 15 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Marta most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Marta ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #418 in 2022. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

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.