Martyn
Masculine · “of Mars”
Martyn is the British spelling of Martin, with a y that makes it look Welsh. It shares its shape with the word martyr, which in Greek meant simply a witness.
How old is the name Martyn?
Martyn first appears in US birth records in 1917 — 108 years ago. The typical Martyn alive today was born around 1968, making them about 57 years old. About 500 people named Martyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Martyn most popular?
Martyn peaked in 1956, reaching #1945 nationally. See the whole 1956 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Martinus to Martyn
The story of Martyn
Martin came through Saint Martin of Tours, and in Britain the spelling Martyn became usual in some families. Its best-known bearer is Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a brilliant young Welsh doctor who worked for the royal physician in London and then gave up medicine to preach, first in a mining town in Wales and then for decades at Westminster Chapel. The resemblance to martyr is only a resemblance, but the Greek word martys first meant nothing more than a witness, someone who says what he has seen.
Meaning
of Mars, through Martin
From Latin Martinus, belonging to Mars, the god of war. Martyn is a spelling common in Britain.
How the name formed
- Martinus
- Martin
- Martyn
Related forms: Martyn · Martin · Martín · Martino
Pronouncing Martyn
MAR-tin
Said exactly like Martin.
Nicknames for Martyn
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1917
- Most boys named
- 195617 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1945reached in 1956
- Change vs 2022
- −16.7%5 in 2024, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Martyn in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Martyn in Welsh — same name
- Martin in French — same name
- Martín in Spanish — same name
- Martino in Italian — same name
Martyns among us
people named Martyn are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Martyn sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It sounds exactly like a familiar name with a clear meaning.
- Marty is a ready short form.
- The spelling gives it a British look.
- Americans will write Martin, and the y will need spelling out.
- Some will read the spelling as martyr.
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Martyn
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Martyns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Martyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Martyn in 2025?
- Martyn is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Martyn with classmates?
- Martyn will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Michael#21 · Matthew#32 · Mark#244 · Mason#39 · Martin#335 · Marvin#699 · Melvin#958 · Marcus#258
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Martyn? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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