Name Martin - meaning, origin, numerology

Martin may either be a surname or given name.

Martin is a common given and family name in many languages. In some languages, and as a given name, it comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, the protective godhead of the Latins (and therefore the god of warring). The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars", or "of war/warlike" ("martial").

It has remained a popular given name in Christian times, in honor of the Catholic saint Martin of Tours; it is also the most common French surname. One well-known Irish family are called Martyn. Along with its historic Catholic popularity, it has also been popular among Protestants due to Martin Luther. In addition, African American children are often given the name in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Additionally, many Black Americans have the name Martin as a family name.

Martin is also an Anglicized surname for a much older, ancient proto-Celtic tribe, who arrived in Ireland roughly 2000 years ago. The Mairtine are noted in the Book of Munster and other historical documents. The names, though recently similar, are disassociated with either Martin de Tours, or Martin de Porres.

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English, French, and German form of the Latin name Martīnus. This was probably originally derived from Mars (genitive Martis), the name of the Roman god of war (and earlier of fertility). Martin became very popular in the Middle Ages, especially on the Continent, as a result of the fame of St Martin of Tours. He was born the son of a Roman officer in Upper Pannonia (an outpost of the Roman Empire, now part of Hungary), and although he became a leading figur, in the 4th-century Church, he is chiefly remembered now for having divided his cloak in two and given half to a beggar. The name was also borne by five popes, including one who defended Roman Catholic dogma against Eastern Orthodox theology. He died after suffering imprisonment and privations in Naxos and public humiliation in Constantinople, and was promptly acclaimed a martyr by supporters of the Roman Church. Among Protestants, the name is sometimes bestowed in honour of the German theologian Martin Luther (1483–1546); Martin was used as a symbolic name for the Protestant Church in satires by both Dryden and Swift. A further influence, especially among American Blacks, may be its use as the given name of the civil-rights leader Martin Luther King (1929–68).
Variant: English: Martyn.
Cognates: Irish Gaelic: Máirtín, Mártan. Scottish Gaelic: Màrtainn. Italian: Martino. Spanish: Martín. Portuguese: Martinho. Catalan: Martí. Low German: Merten. Dutch: Maarten, Martijn. Danish, Norwegian: Morten. Swedish: Mårten. Polish: Marcin. Hungarian: Márton. Finnish: Martti.
Pet form: English: Marty.
Feminine forms: Martina, Martine.

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