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 Statue ofMars, 1st century, found in theForum of Nerva (Capitoline Museums, Rome) | |
| Pronunciation | English:/ˈmɑːrtɪn,-tən/ Czech:[ˈmartɪn] Finnish:[ˈmɑrtin] French:[maʁtɛ̃] German:[ˈmaʁtiːn] Norwegian:[ˈmɑ̀ʈːɪn] Serbo-Croatian:[mǎrtin] Spanish:[maɾˈtin] Swedish:[ˈmǎʈːɪn] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Latin |
| Meaning | OfMars, warlike, warrior orfamous counsel |
| Region of origin | Roman Empire |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Martyn,Martti,Morten,Marten,Märten,Maarten,Martijn,Martino,Mārtiņš,Mars,Martinus,Martiniano |
Martin may either be agiven name orsurname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname ofScottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin nameMartinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman godMars, protective godhead of theLatins and, therefore, god of war.[1] The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars" or "of war/warlike" ("martial"). Alternatively, it may also be derived from theProto-Germanic elements "mar", meaningfamous and "tank", meaningthought,counsel.
It has remained a popular given name in Christian times, in honor ofSaint Martin of Tours. Along with its historic Catholic popularity, it has also been popular among Protestants due toMartin Luther. In addition,African American children are often given the name in honor ofMartin Luther King Jr.
Martin, along with a range of variant forms mostly ofpatronymic origin, borne by families descended from someone with the given name of Martin, are seen throughout Europe, though in some instances the Martin surname in England are instead oftoponymic origin, coming from one of numerous places called Merton. Martin is the most common French surname and also frequent in Belgium.
Martin was the sixteenth most frequently reported surname in the 1990 United States Census, accounting for 0.27% of the population.
The name is often read as Martin (with `on the i) in most slavic nations. Nicknames for Martin can be Marti, Marto, Martine, Maťo, Maťko, Martinko.[citation needed]
Before the Normans arrived in the 11th century, "Martin" was rare in England. Seefeudal barony of Barnstaple for the post-Conquest Anglo-Norman family. The surname became common south of theThames.
There are several groups of Martins or Macmartins in Scotland. The MacMartins of Letterfinlay appear to have allied themselves to theClan Cameron in the late 14th century and finally merged with the Camerons after theBattle of Lochaber in 1429. The MacMartins, who became asept of Clan Cameron, is said to have been amongst the most loyal and valuable followers of Cameron of Lochiel. In theJacobite rising of 1745, the MacMartins were "out with" Lochiel's regiment.[2] According to theOxford Companion to Scottish History, the MacMartins of Letterfinlay who were a sept of the Clan Cameron would have seen themselves as distinct within their own lands, but would have also seen themselves as Camerons if operating elsewhere outside of Lochaber.[3]
There is a branch of MacMartins fromStrathclyde. The Martins in Skye are traditionally associated with Clan Donald, and the Lothians were home to a powerful "de St Martin" family from the 12th century.
AnAnglo-Norman knight namedRobert Fitz Martin, born in the late 11th century, settled in England'sWest Country, on lands inherited from a grandfather, and later participated in the invasions ofWales, where he was awarded thebarony of Cemaes, located betweenFishguard andCardigan. Robertfitz Martin established thecaput of his barony at Nanhyfer orNevern. Robert's son William Fitz Robert Fitz Martin (born c. 1155) inherited the family's property and re-established family control over Cemaes, which had been lost to the Welsh. The senior line became extinct in 1326, but cadet lines still flourish in Wales and England.
Martin is a highly common first name inBulgaria. The name is consistently the third most popular baby name.[4] In surname form Martin becomes Martinov, thought it's not popular. The name is pronounced the same asEnglish, but with the stress on the second syllable.
With over 230,000 people holding the surname Martin in France, it is the most common French surname.[5] The origins of its frequency can be attributed toSaint Martin of Tours, who was the most popular French saint, but the reason is not clear.[6]
Martin was never a common given name (Christian name) in theMiddle Ages, unlikeBernard orThomas (which were later officialized and became common surnames, nowadays ranking second and third respectively). Onomastics have tried to find other reasons for Martin's popularity, by examining, for example, the repartition of place names, but this explanation also lacks empirical support.[6]
It can be a late surname connected with children of orphanages, likeAlexandre, which was never a common first name in the Middle Ages but now appears quite frequently as a surname. Martin can represent charity towards orphans.
| France[7] | Belgium (Wallonia, 2008)[8] |
|---|---|
| 1.Martin | 1.Dubois |
| 2.Bernard | 2.Lambert |
| 3.Dubois | 3.Martin |
| 4.Thomas | 4.Dupont |
| 5.Robert | 5.Simon |
However, this list hides strong regional differences in France and the increasing number of foreign names among the French citizens. Table based on births between 1966 and 1990:[9]
| Basse-Normandie | Alsace | Brittany | PACA | Paris-IdF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Marie | 1. Meyer | 1. Le Gall | 1.Martin | 1.Martin |
| 2.Martin | 2. Muller | 2. Thomas | 2. Garcia (Spanish) | 2. Da Silva (Port.) |
| 3. Jeanne | 3. Schmitt | 3. Le Goff | 3. Martinez (Spanish) | 3. Perreira (Port.) |
| 4. Duval | 4. Schneider | 4. Le Roux | 4. Blanc | 4. Petit |
| 5. Lefèvre | 5. Klein | 5.Martin | 5. Fernandez (Spanish) | 5. Dos Santos (Port.) |
| 6. Leroy | 6. Weber | 6. Simon | 6. Lopez (Spanish) | 6. Ferreira (Port.) |
| 7. Hébert | 7. Fischer | 7. Tanguy | 7. Roux | 7. Rodrigues (Port.) |
| 8. Guérin | 8.Martin | 8. Hamon | 8. Sanchez (Spanish) | 8. Dubois |
Martin is a common male name inEstonia – it was the most popular male given name throughout the 1990s. The name currently remains as the second most popular male name in Estonia.[10]
Martin is also a surname – in the variations of Martin, Martinsen, Martinson.
Marton, the Hungarian form of the name, is commonly used as both a first name and surname.
Surnames inIreland are attested from the mid-10th century. Several distinct families featured the name as a surname element. They included Mac Giolla Mhártain, Ó Maol Mhartain, Ó Martain, Ó Máirtín, Mac Máirtín, Mac Máel Martain. Individuals included Echmílid mac Máel Martain (Bishop of Down to 1202),Giolla Ernain Ó Martain (Irish poet andChief Ollam of Ireland, died 1218), and Fearghal Ó Martain, O.E.S.A. (Bishop of Killala from 1425 to 1432).
After theNorman invasion of Ireland in 1169, numerous unrelated bearers of the name settled in Ireland. Among the most well-known of the name were one of theTribes of Galway.
InItaly, Martin (pronounced[marˈtiŋ]) is a rather common surname inVeneto,Friuli-Venezia Giulia, andPiedmont.
InPoland, the name is written as "Marcin".
InPortugal, Martin is written "Martim" or Martinho. One famous Martin fromPortuguese history isMartim Moniz.
Martin is common as a given name in all threeScandinavian countries, and is a typically a top-ranking name in popularity, on any given year. Also it is seen in derivative surnames following Scandinavian naming tradition, such as Martinsen (inNorway andDenmark) and Martinsson (inSweden).Morten is aScandinavian version of Martin.
Martín (pronounced[maɾˈtin]) is a common given name and is also among the most common surnames in Spain. Its Catalan variant is Martí and inGalician is Martiño. Jewish families in medieval Spain (Sephardic) Jews who remained in Spain and agreed to accept Christianity were asked to change their surnames. One of the names taken up by these Jewishconversos (originally known in Spain asMarranos, but preferred term is 'anusim' which is Hebrew for "forced") was "Martí" (also spelt "Marty"). Sephardic Jews also used Martín or Martínez, as a variation from theHebrew nameMordecai.[11]
As of 2014, 32.6% of all known bearers of the surnameMartin were residents of theUnited States (frequency 1:424), 19.2% ofSpain (1:93), 12.0% ofFrance (1:211), 4.7% ofEngland (1:449), 3.5% ofCanada (1:401), 2.9% ofGermany (1:1,054), 2.3% ofArgentina (1:719), 2.2% of thePhilippines (1:1,731), 2.2% ofMexico (1:2,179), 2.1% ofTanzania (1:955), 2.0% ofAustralia (1:453), 1.5% ofCuba (1:303) and 1.3% ofSouth Africa (1:1,617).
InSpain, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:93) in the following autonomous communities:
InFrance, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:211) in the following regions:[12]
They generally mean "descendant of Martin".
The above list also includes fictional characters.
The above list also includes fictional characters.
D'où viennent donc tous ces Martin?
