Maarten
A Dutch masculine name derived from the Roman name Martinus, meaning "of Mars".
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Maarten. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maarten today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maarten births was 1962 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maarten. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Maarten. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1962
6 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2007 SSA rank
#11,807
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Maarten: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maarten from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Maarten remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maarten by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maarten during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maarten
The name Maarten is a Dutch variant of the Latin name Martinus, which is derived from the name of the Roman god Mars, the god of war. The name Martinus was introduced to the Low Countries during the Roman era and eventually evolved into the Dutch form Maarten.
Maarten was a popular name among early Dutch Christians, as it was borne by Saint Martin of Tours, a 4th-century bishop who is venerated as the patron saint of soldiers, beggars, and many cities across Europe. His life and deeds were recorded in various hagiographies, contributing to the widespread adoption of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maarten dates back to the 12th century, when a Maarten van Rossem was mentioned in a charter from the County of Holland. Over the centuries, the name gained popularity throughout the Dutch-speaking regions and beyond.
Notable historical figures with the name Maarten include Maarten van Rossum (c. 1478-1555), a Dutch military commander who served under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Another prominent bearer was Maarten Tromp (1598-1653), a Dutch admiral who played a crucial role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
In the arts, Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) was a renowned Dutch painter and architect during the Renaissance period. Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (1598-1653) was a celebrated Dutch admiral who fought in several naval battles against the English.
Maarten de Vries (1753-1839) was a Dutch explorer and navigator who made significant contributions to the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and the discovery of various islands.
The name Maarten has a rich history rooted in Dutch heritage and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including military leaders, artists, and explorers. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its connection to religious figures and its long-standing presence in the Dutch-speaking world.
People
Maarten + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maarten as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maarten: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maarten?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maarten going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Maarten a common name?
We classify Maarten as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maarten most popular?
The single biggest year for Maarten was 1962, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maarten is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maarten a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maarten in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.