Martha

Lady; mistress, in the older sense of a woman in authority.

Martha is an Aramaic name meaning “lady” or “mistress”, in the older sense of a woman in authority. Martha has a solid, unshowy warmth. Its open first vowel gives the English name room to breathe, while the soft ending keeps it from feeling stern. For someone drawn to older names with little ornament, that balance is part of its appeal. Martha of Bethany is the sister of Mary and Lazarus. In Luke’s account she welcomes Jesus and is occupied with serving while Mary listens. English Martha has two syllables, with the stress at the start and “th” as in “think”. German Martha also stresses the first syllable, but the middle consonant is a plain “t”. Marta is an established spelling variant, and Marthe is a related French form. If the English “th” is what you especially like, the written h alone will not preserve that sound in German.

Etymology: Martha comes from Aramaic, where the name is connected with a feminine word meaning “lady” or “mistress”. It belongs to the biblical naming tradition through Martha of Bethany.