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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
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Martha f. Aramaic מַרְתָּא 'the mistress'.

The name of the Biblical sister of Mary and Lazarus later revered as a saint, a 3rd C Persian saint, a 6th C Syrian saint, and a 14th C queen consort of Sweden. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Martha .

The name was never especially common, but it gained popularity in England in the second half of the 16th C.

Czech Republic
Latin
● 1349 Martha (nom) chlumecky 144; 1356 Martha (nom) ibid. 145
England
Early Modern English
● 1541 Martha StAnthonlin p. 2; 1544 Marthat ibid. p. 4; 1561 Martha bruton-vol1 p. 31; 1564 Martha OrpingtonKe p. 2; 1568 Martha StAnthonlin p. 19; 1571 Martha OrpingtonKe p. 3; 1573 Martha BEmar-vol2 p. 129; 1577 Martha ibid. p. 129, BUmar-vol9 p. 6; 1578 Martha StAnthonlin p. 27; 1580 Martha BEmar-vol2 p. 130, StAnthonlin p. 27; 1581 Martha BEmar-vol2 p. 130; 1584 Martha StAnthonlin p. 30; 1585 Martha DEmar-vol2 p. 12, OrpingtonKe p. 7, StAnthonlin p. 31; 1589/90 Martha BEmar-vol1 p. 13; 1589 Martha CAmar-vol1 p. 4; 1590 Martha BEmar-vol2 p. 130, StAnthonlin p. 34; 1591 Martha BEmar-vol1 p. 14; 1593 Martha BEmar-vol2 p. 131; 1594 Martha SaxhamSf p. 40; 1596 Martha BUmar-vol9 p. 9, StAnthonlin p. 38, StMary-Ke p. v; 1599 Martha DEmar-vol2 p. 41
France
Latin
● c823 Marta (nom) irminon-vol2 38, Palatiolum; 1274 Martha (nom) RegToul-13thC p. 60
Middle French
● 1561 Marthe RegPCC-1 p. 2; 1562 Marthe ibid. p. 6; 1563 Marthe ibid. p. 21; 1564 Marthe ibid. p. 57; 1565 Marthe ibid. p. 115
Italy
Latin
● 1522x1532 Martha (nom) DSF p. 50, 2
Ukraine
Latin
● 1469 Martha (nom) AGZ-18 19, Martham (acc) ibid. 19, Marthe (dat) ibid. 19
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Martha". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2016/1/name/Martha.