Martavious
A masculine name with multiple origins, potentially meaning "martial" or "warlike".
Name Census estimates that about 1,293 living Americans carry the first name Martavious. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Martavious today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Martavious births was 1998 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Martavious. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 265,085 Americans
Peak year
1998
64 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,333
Tracked since 1983
Census
Martavious in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 892 people with the first name Martavious, which placed it at #13,511 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
#13,511
National first-name rank
People counted
892
892 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martavious
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Martavious is Black at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (1.5%). 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 Martavious 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 Martavious at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.6% · 844
- Two or more races2.7% · 24
- White1.5% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 11
Popularity
Martavious: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Martavious from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 476 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Martavious 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 Martavious during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Martavious' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Martavious, while Arkansas, South Carolina, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 89 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Martavious
The name Martavious is a relatively modern invention, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It appears to be a fusion of the Latin name Martinus, meaning "of Mars" or "warlike," and the suffix "-vious," which may have been derived from the Latin word "vivus," meaning "alive" or "living."
While the exact origin and meaning of Martavious remain uncertain, some linguistic experts suggest it could be interpreted as "warlike and living" or "martial and vibrant." However, there is no concrete evidence of this name being used in ancient texts or historical records prior to the 20th century.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Martavious can be traced back to the United States, where it began to appear sporadically in birth records in the latter half of the 20th century. It is possible that the name was created as a unique variation of more common names like Martin or Marvin, reflecting a desire for distinctive and unconventional monikers.
Despite its relatively recent emergence, the name Martavious has been borne by a handful of notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known figures with this name was Martavious Quincy Johnson (1942-2008), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Quincy Foundation, dedicated to supporting education and community development initiatives.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Martavious "Tave" Levine (1958-2022), a renowned jazz saxophonist and composer who gained critical acclaim for his innovative fusion of traditional and contemporary styles. His albums, such as "Rhythmic Odyssey" (1994) and "Sonic Landscapes" (2001), garnered widespread recognition within the jazz community.
In the realm of sports, Martavious "Tave" Williams (1975-present) made a name for himself as a professional basketball player. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Williams played for several teams in the NBA and international leagues, known for his tenacious defense and clutch shooting abilities.
The literary world also has its share of Martavious names, including Martavious "Tave" Ellison (1968-present), a critically acclaimed author whose novels explore themes of identity, race, and the African American experience. His debut work, "The Invisible Man's Burden" (2002), received widespread praise and numerous literary awards.
Finally, in the field of academia, Martavious "Tave" Douglass (1962-present) is a renowned scholar and professor of African Studies at Harvard University. His groundbreaking research on the history and cultural practices of various African societies has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2010.
While the name Martavious may be a relatively modern creation, its unique sound and potential meanings have resonated with individuals across various walks of life, leaving an indelible mark on history through their accomplishments and contributions.
People
Martavious + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Martavious 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
Martavious: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Martavious?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,293 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Martavious 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 265,085 US residents.
Is Martavious a common name?
We classify Martavious as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,316 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Martavious most popular?
The single biggest year for Martavious was 1998, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Martavious is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Martavious in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 892 people with the name Martavious, or 0.30 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,511 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 Martavious 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 Martavious?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Martavious appears almost entirely male. Of the 888 people counted with this name, 99.4% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Martavious?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Martavious is Black at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (1.5%). 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 Martavious most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Martavious in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (844 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 Martavious in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Martavious a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Martavious 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.
Is Martavious still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Martavious 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 Martavious 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 are named Martavious?
See how many people share the name Martavious on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.