One of the most popular names in Catalonia is losing strength.

BarcelonaIf there's one girl's name that has consistently topped the popularity charts in recent years, it's Martina. The last time it reached the number one spot was in 2023, but between 2010 and 2016 it held the top spot five times. In fact, the last decade saw a Martina boom: 7,585 girls were given that name, and while it's still popular, it has lost some ground between 2020 and 2023, with 1,663 girls bearing that name. It now ranks third.

There are 15,567 women named Martina in Catalonia and 68,596 in Spain, with an average age of 15.8 years. While it's a name often associated with young women, older women also bear it. "It works well as a name for grandmothers and little girls," notes Francesc Calafell, principal investigator at the IBE (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and professor and researcher at UPF. "It's a name that stands out from the current trend of short names, which is perhaps why its popularity is declining," he adds.

Looking at the regional distribution, this name is concentrated primarily in the Barcelona area. The two districts within this area where it is most prevalent proportionally are Maresme (4.98 per thousand) and Vallès Oriental (4.84 per thousand). However, the highest percentage is found in Vall d'Aran (5.24 per thousand). There is also a significant number in Priorat (4.72 per thousand).

Although spelled the same in Catalan as in Spanish, it is a name mainly used in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, although we also find quite a few Martines in Cádiz and Cantabria. In contrast, the masculine version in Spanish, Martín, is more popular and has become a common name. This is also true in Catalan. In 2024, Martí was the most popular name for boys, while Martina ranked third among girls' names. It's also a fairly international name, found in Germany, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Indonesia.

It is striking that although in Catalonia we assume it is a female name, there are also men named Martina, specifically 14. Furthermore, as is often the case with many other names, such as Antonia or Maria, it is also included much less frequently in compound names such as Maria Martina or vice versa, Martina.