Martavius
A masculine name of unknown origin, potentially derived from Latin or Greek elements.
Name Census estimates that about 788 living Americans carry the first name Martavius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Martavius today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Martavius births was 1996 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Martavius. 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
788
~ 1 in 434,967 Americans
Peak year
1996
41 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,084
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Martavius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Martavius from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 322 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Martavius 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 Martavius during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Martavius' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Martavius, while Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Martavius
The name Martavius has its origins in the ancient Roman civilization. It is derived from the Latin word "Martius," which means "of Mars" or "belonging to Mars." Mars was the Roman god of war, and the name Martavius was likely given to male children born during the month of March, which was named after the deity.
In ancient Rome, the name Martavius was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in some historical records and inscriptions. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a Roman soldier named Martavius Rufus who fought in the Second Punic War against Hannibal in the 3rd century BC.
During the Middle Ages, the name Martavius fell out of favor in most parts of Europe, but it experienced a brief resurgence in the Italian Renaissance period. One notable figure from this era was Martavius Ficino, an Italian philosopher and scholar who lived from 1433 to 1499. Ficino was a key figure in the revival of Platonic philosophy and played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of Renaissance Florence.
In the 16th century, the name Martavius appeared in the works of the English playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "Coriolanus," one of the minor characters is named Martavius, though little is known about the origin or significance of this particular character's name.
Another famous bearer of the name Martavius was the French Baroque composer Martavius Charpentier, who lived from 1645 to 1704. Charpentier is best known for his sacred works, including the "Leçons de Ténèbres" and the "Te Deum," which were composed for the court of Louis XIV.
In more recent history, there was a German philosopher and writer named Martavius Heidegger, who lived from 1889 to 1976. Heidegger is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century and is best known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology, such as "Being and Time."
While the name Martavius has remained relatively rare throughout history, it has been borne by a diverse range of individuals from various cultures and eras. Despite its ancient Roman origins, the name has transcended its initial cultural context and has been adopted and adapted in different parts of the world over the centuries.
People
Martavius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Martavius 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
Martavius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Martavius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 788 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Martavius 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 434,967 US residents.
Is Martavius a common name?
We classify Martavius as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 804 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Martavius most popular?
The single biggest year for Martavius was 1996, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Martavius is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Martavius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Martavius 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.