UK boy's name
Martin
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "warlike" or "belonging to Mars".
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.
Martin is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Martin popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #346, with 126 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 435 births.
This profile covers 5,887 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 29% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 15,945 living people in the UK are called Martin. 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
- • Martin ranked #346 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 126 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 435 boys were registered as Martin.
- • Martin ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #216 in 2024.
- • About 15,945 living people in the UK are estimated to have Martin as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#346
2024
Births in 2024
126
Latest year
Peak year
1996
435 births
Estimated living
15,945
2026
Meaning
What does Martin mean?
The name Martin is derived from the ancient Roman name Martinus, which is a derivative of the name of the Roman god Mars, who was the god of war. The name first arose in the 1st century AD and was initially only used by Romans. Over time, it spread to other parts of Europe as the Roman Empire expanded.
Martin is a Christian name that gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages due to the veneration of Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop who was known for his charity and kindness. The legend of Saint Martin cutting his cloak in half to share with a beggar contributed to the widespread use of the name.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Martin can be found in the 6th-century work "Historia Francorum" by Gregory of Tours, which mentions several individuals named Martin. Another early example is Martin of Braga, a 6th-century archbishop and scholar from what is now Portugal.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Martin. These include Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation; Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the iconic American civil rights leader; Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), the 8th President of the United States; Martin Buber (1878-1965), the Austrian-born Israeli philosopher; and Martin Scorsese (born 1942), the acclaimed American film director.
The name Martin has been popular across various cultures and regions, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and England. It has also been widely used in the Christian tradition, with numerous saints and religious figures bearing the name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Martin over time
The chart below shows babies named Martin 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 Martin, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 126 births in 2024, compared with 435 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Martin by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Martin 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 | #297 | 787 | 5 |
| 2010s | #253 | 2,016 | 10 |
| 2000s | #218 | 1,779 | 10 |
| 1990s | #126 | 1,305 | 4 |
Geography
Where Martin is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Martin. 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.
Martin ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #216 in 2024.
Across the UK
Martin in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#352 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 9,760 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#216 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 632 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Martin
-
Martin Ondrejka
ice hockey player
German ice hockey player
1972-
-
Martin Wheeler
composer; record producer; film score composer; film producer
British producer
1956-
Related
Names similar to Martin
- Matthew 80,931
- Mohammed 74,321
- Muhammad 72,235
- Max 59,807
- Michael 47,075
- Mason 38,935
- Mohammad 25,910
- Morgan 15,994
- Muhammed 11,527
- Mark 11,336
- Marcus 11,257
- Maxwell 10,006
FAQ
Martin: questions and answers
How popular is the name Martin in the UK right now?
In 2024, Martin was ranked #346 for boys in England and Wales, with 126 births registered.
When was Martin most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 435 babies registered as Martin in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Martin?
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "warlike" or "belonging to Mars".
How many people are called Martin in the UK?
A total of 5,887 babies have been registered as Martin across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9,760 more in Scotland and 632 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Martin most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Martin ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #216 in 2024. 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.