The meaning of MARTIN

MARTIN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Scandinavian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Bulgarian

Other Scripts: Мартин (Russian, Bulgarian)

Pronounced: MAHR-tin (English, German), mar-TEN (French), MAWR-teen (Hungarian), mahr-TIN (Bulgarian) [key]

From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god MARS. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar.

Five popes have borne this name. Two other influential bearers were Martin Luther, the theologian who began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, and more recently Martin Luther King, the American civil rights leader who fought for racial equality.