Marhta
A feminine name of Aramaic origin meaning "lady" or "mistress of the house".
Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Marhta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marhta today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marhta births was 1972 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marhta. 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 Marhta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
29
~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans
Peak year
1972
7 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1992 SSA rank
#14,633
Tracked since 1953
Census
Marhta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 157 people with the first name Marhta, which placed it at #44,257 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,257
National first-name rank
People counted
157
157 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
61.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marhta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marhta is Hispanic at 61.8%. The next largest groups are White (30.6%) and Black (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Marhta described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Marhta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino61.8% · 97
- White30.6% · 48
- Black or African American7.0% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Marhta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marhta from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 18 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marhta 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 Marhta 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 Marhta
The name Marhta has its origins in the Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in ancient times across the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean region. It is believed to be derived from the Aramaic word "mar'tha," meaning "mistress" or "lady." The name's roots can be traced back to the first century AD.
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Marhta comes from the New Testament of the Bible. In the Gospel of Luke, Marhta is mentioned as the sister of Mary and Lazarus, and is described as a dedicated hostess who welcomed Jesus into her home. This biblical account lends a sense of historical significance to the name.
Throughout the centuries, the name Marhta has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Saint Marhta of Bethany, who lived in the first century AD and is venerated as a saint in various Christian traditions. Another early figure was Marhta of Milan, a fourth-century abbess and saint.
Moving forward in time, the name gained prominence during the Middle Ages. Marhta of Navarre (c. 1192-1208) was a princess and countess of Champagne and Brie in medieval France. Marhta Blount (c. 1435-1537) was an English noblewoman and the mistress of King Henry VIII.
In more recent history, Marhta Argerich (born 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist who has been hailed as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Marhta Nussbaum (born 1947) is an American philosopher and ethicist who has made significant contributions to the field of human development.
Marhta Graham (1894-1991) was an influential American modern dancer and choreographer, known for her groundbreaking contributions to the art form. Her innovative choreography and technique have left a lasting impact on the world of dance.
While the name Marhta has its roots in the ancient Aramaic language, it has transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, finding its way into various societies and cultures throughout history. The name's enduring presence serves as a testament to its timeless appeal and rich historical legacy.
People
Marhta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marhta 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
Marhta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marhta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marhta 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 11,819,115 US residents.
Is Marhta a common name?
We classify Marhta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marhta most popular?
The single biggest year for Marhta was 1972, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marhta is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marhta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 157 people with the name Marhta, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,257 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Marhta in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Marhta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marhta appears almost entirely female. Of the 159 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Marhta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marhta is Hispanic at 61.8%. The next largest groups are White (30.6%) and Black (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Marhta most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Marhta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (97 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marhta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marhta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marhta 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.
Is Marhta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marhta in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marhta can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Marhta?
Find out how many people share the name Marhta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.