Martavis
A masculine name of American origin meaning "martyr."
Name Census estimates that about 304 living Americans carry the first name Martavis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Martavis today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Martavis births was 1993 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Martavis. 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
304
~ 1 in 1,127,481 Americans
Peak year
1993
19 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,414
Tracked since 1980
Census
Martavis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 232 people with the first name Martavis, which placed it at #34,960 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
#34,960
National first-name rank
People counted
232
232 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
90.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martavis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Martavis is Black at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Martavis 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 Martavis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.5% · 210
- Two or more races4.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- White0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
Popularity
Martavis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Martavis from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 124 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Martavis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Martavis 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 Martavis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Martavis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Martavis
The name Martavis is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and speculation. Some experts believe it to be a variation of the Latin name Martinus, which itself is derived from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars. Others suggest it could be a portmanteau of the names Martin and Travis, blending elements of different cultures and languages.
While there is no definitive record of the name's earliest appearance, some scholars have traced it back to ancient texts from the Byzantine Empire. In these writings, the name Martavis is believed to have been used as a descriptor for individuals who possessed a fierce, warrior-like spirit, akin to the qualities associated with the god Mars.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the name Martavis was a Byzantine general who lived in the 6th century CE. Known for his strategic prowess and unwavering courage on the battlefield, this Martavis played a pivotal role in several campaigns against invading forces, cementing his legacy in the annals of Byzantine military history.
In the 11th century, a monk named Martavis gained renown for his skilled calligraphy and his contributions to the preservation of ancient manuscripts. His intricate and beautiful penmanship adorned countless religious texts and historical records, ensuring their survival through the ages.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Martavis made a name for himself as a master fresco painter. His vibrant and expressive murals adorned the walls of churches and palaces across Italy, captivating viewers with their vivid depictions of biblical scenes and mythological tales.
In the 18th century, a French explorer and naturalist named Martavis embarked on several expeditions to the Americas, documenting the flora and fauna of the New World. His meticulous journals and illustrations provided invaluable insights into the biodiversity of these uncharted territories, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge.
While not as widely known today, the name Martavis has left an indelible mark on history, embodying the qualities of strength, creativity, and curiosity that have shaped human civilizations throughout the ages.
People
Martavis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Martavis 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
Martavis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Martavis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 304 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Martavis 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 1,127,481 US residents.
Is Martavis a common name?
We classify Martavis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 311 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Martavis most popular?
The single biggest year for Martavis was 1993, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Martavis is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Martavis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 232 people with the name Martavis, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,960 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 Martavis 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 Martavis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Martavis appears almost entirely male. Of the 230 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Martavis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Martavis is Black at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Martavis most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Martavis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (210 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 Martavis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Martavis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Martavis 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 Martavis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Martavis 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 Martavis 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 Americans are named Martavis?
You can see how many people share the name Martavis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.