Maretta
A feminine name derived from the French term "mer" meaning "sea".
Name Census estimates that about 496 living Americans carry the first name Maretta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maretta today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maretta births was 1950 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maretta. 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.
People living today
496
~ 1 in 691,037 Americans
Peak year
1950
25 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2014 SSA rank
#15,847
Tracked since 1898
Popularity
Maretta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maretta from the 1890s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 174 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maretta 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 Maretta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marettas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maretta
The name Maretta is believed to have originated from the Italian language. Its roots can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is thought to be a diminutive or feminine form of the Italian name Maria, which was derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam or Mariam.
One theory suggests that Maretta may have been a nickname or pet name used for women named Maria, as it was common practice in Italy during that time to create diminutive forms of names as terms of endearment. Another possible origin of the name is that it was derived from the Italian word "maretta," meaning a slight breeze or gentle ripple on the surface of the sea.
In terms of historical references, there are limited records of the name Maretta being used in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, some early records of the name can be found in Italian Renaissance literature and historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Maretta is in the work of the Italian poet and playwright Giambattista Basile, who lived from 1566 to 1632. In his collection of fairy tales titled "Lo Cunto de li Cunti" (The Story of Stories), he included a character named Maretta.
Another notable historical figure with the name Maretta was Maretta Petrucci (1492-1558), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who was a member of the powerful Petrucci family in Siena, Italy. She was known for her patronage of artists and her role in the cultural life of Siena during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, Maretta Ventura (1618-1696) was an Italian painter and engraver who was active in Rome and is known for her religious paintings and etchings.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Maretta Landi (1718-1792) was an Italian poet and translator from Milan. She was a member of the Accademia dei Trasformati, a literary society in Milan.
In the 19th century, Maretta Angelini (1843-1929) was an Italian operatic soprano who performed in various operas across Europe, including at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
While these are some of the notable historical figures with the name Maretta, it is important to note that the name was likely used more commonly among ordinary Italian families during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, particularly in regions like Tuscany, Lazio, and Lombardy.
People
Maretta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maretta 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
Maretta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maretta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 496 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maretta 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 691,037 US residents.
Is Maretta a common name?
We classify Maretta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 896 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maretta most popular?
The single biggest year for Maretta was 1950, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maretta is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maretta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maretta in the SSA data are female. 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.