Head to head · Girls' names
Analia vs Martha
#711 vs #712 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Analia is a whisker ahead (#711 vs #712 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Martha leads 4 measures of 6; Analia leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Analia —, Martha #17 — Martha higher
- 1890s: Analia —, Martha #25 — Martha higher
- 1900s: Analia —, Martha #30 — Martha higher
- 1910s: Analia —, Martha #26 — Martha higher
- 1920s: Analia —, Martha #23 — Martha higher
- 1930s: Analia —, Martha #26 — Martha higher
- 1940s: Analia —, Martha #30 — Martha higher
- 1950s: Analia —, Martha #51 — Martha higher
- 1960s: Analia —, Martha #102 — Martha higher
- 1970s: Analia #6075, Martha #159 — Martha higher
- 1980s: Analia #8130, Martha #208 — Martha higher
- 1990s: Analia #7235, Martha #296 — Martha higher
- 2000s: Analia #2886, Martha #496 — Martha higher
- 2010s: Analia #893, Martha #748 — Martha higher
- 2020s: Analia #674, Martha #711 — Analia higher
Martha stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Analia took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Analia | Martha |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #17 |
| 1890s | — | #25 |
| 1900s | — | #30 |
| 1910s | — | #26 |
| 1920s | — | #23 |
| 1930s | — | #26 |
| 1940s | — | #30 |
| 1950s | — | #51 |
| 1960s | — | #102 |
| 1970s | #6075 | #159 |
| 1980s | #8130 | #208 |
| 1990s | #7235 | #296 |
| 2000s | #2886 | #496 |
| 2010s | #893 | #748 |
| 2020s | #674 | #711 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Analia
a blend of Ana (from Hebrew Hannah, "grace, favor") with a second element
The Ana half is settled: it descends from Hebrew Channah, "grace" or "favor", through Greek and Latin Anna. What follows it is read two ways — most often as Lía (the Spanish form of Leah), giving Ana + Lía; sometimes as a clipped ending borrowed from Amalia or Rosalía. Either way the compounding itself is the point, in the same tradition that produced Anabel and Anamaría.
Channah → Anna → Ana → Analía → Analia
How it traveled
Spanish naming has long built new names by fusing old ones, and Analía — usually written with an accent on the í — is one of those fusions, pairing Ana with Lía. It circulated widely in the Spanish-speaking Americas through the twentieth century, particularly around the Río de la Plata, where it became familiar enough to stand entirely on its own rather than read as a hyphenated pair.
Martha
lady, mistress of the house
Aramaic, and the feminine of the ordinary word for a lord or master. It is one of very few New Testament names that is Aramaic rather than Hebrew or Greek, which suits the character it belongs to.
marta → Martha
How it traveled
The most famous bearer of the name in modern times was a bird. She was the last passenger pigeon alive, a species that had numbered in the billions and darkened the sky over North America for days at a time within living memory, and she died in Cincinnati Zoo in the autumn of nineteen fourteen.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Analia
ah-nah-LEE-ah
That is the Spanish reading, with the stress on the third syllable — the accent in Analía marks exactly that. English speakers often shift it to uh-NAH-lee-uh, stressing the second syllable instead. Both are heard, and it is worth deciding early which one your family will use.
- Ana — The first half on its own; a complete given name in its own right across Spanish, Portuguese and English.
- Lía — The second half, also a standalone name in Spanish; often spelled Lia or Leah in English contexts.
- Ani — Informal, family-level shortening; used in both Spanish- and English-speaking households.
- Nalia — Informal clipping of the back of the name; less common than Ana or Lía.
- Also Annie.
Martha
MAR-thuh
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Most European languages drop the h entirely and say MAR-tah, which English does not.
- Marty — An affectionate ending; unisex and rather informal.
- Mattie — Built from the front by sound; warm and of an older generation.
- Patty — An old and now obscure short form of this name rather than of Patricia.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Analia if you want…
- a name holding steadyAnalia is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itAnalia runs 4 syllables, Martha 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Ana, Lía and Ani
- a newer arrivalAnalia entered the US charts in 1973
Choose Martha if you want…
- a name on the way upup 55 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesMartha is 2 syllables to Analia's 4
- a long American recordMartha was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Analia
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Analia
Strengths
- Two ready-made short forms, Ana and Lía, each of which is a full given name elsewhere — a formal version and a casual one without inventing anything.
- The spelling follows the sounds directly, so a reader who has never seen it can usually get close on a first attempt.
- Works in Spanish and English mouths alike, which matters in bilingual families and across borders.
To consider
- The accent is the recurring admin question: Analía is the fuller Spanish spelling, Analia the form American records handle without fuss. Choosing one and sticking to it saves years of small corrections.
- It sits close to Amalia, Analise, Analeigh and Amelia, so expect occasional mishearing and a spell-out over the phone.
- Stress placement genuinely varies between Spanish and English speakers, and a child may hear her name said two different ways in one day.
Martha
Strengths
- It is recognized across Europe with almost no change of spelling.
- The meaning is dignified and easy to explain without etymology.
- It has stayed in continuous use for the whole length of the record.
To consider
- Its peak was very early and the name carries that age for some ears.
- The biblical character is proverbially the busy one, which colors the name.
- The record holds a few boys as well, and the boy is much the smaller side.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Analia
40%chance Analia feels dated by 2040
Analia sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Martha
12%chance Martha feels dated by 2040
Martha has held the top-100 across 8 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Analia and Martha in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Analia and Martha?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- The names with the most spellings
- Greatest Generation names (born 1901–1927)
- Silent Generation names (born 1928–1945)
- Baby Boomer names (born 1946–1964)
- all guides
Where Analia and Martha each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Analia or Martha — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Analia or Martha?
- Analia, in 2025: Analia ranked #711 with 394 babies; Martha ranked #712 with 393 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Analia or Martha?
- Martha. Over the last five years Analia moved down 36 places; Martha moved up 55 places.
- Which is the older name, Analia or Martha?
- Analia entered the US charts in 1973; Martha was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Martha is the older name.
- How many people are named Analia and Martha?
- About 7,500 people named Analia are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 241,000 people named Martha are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Analias or Marthas in the classroom?
- Analia will almost certainly be the only one in school. Martha will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Analia, Martha and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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