Martha vs Evelyn
How Martha and Evelyn compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Martha (girls) vs Evelyn (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Martha | Evelyn |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1947 — 10,652 girls | 1921 — 14,278 girls |
| Peak rank | #32 | #12 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #713 (393 births) | #8 (9,123 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 499,814 | 555,984 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 3,882 | 97,423 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Evelyn reached 14,278 US births in 1921 — 3,626 more than Martha's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Martha births | Evelyn births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Evelyn | 2,274 | 3,035 |
| 1933 | Martha | 7,164 | 6,948 |
| 2000 | Evelyn | 787 | 2,223 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Martha — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | #265 | 405 |
| 2 | Kentucky | #447 | 94 |
| 3 | Mississippi | #484 | 27 |
| 4 | Indiana | #501 | 136 |
| 5 | Iowa | #530 | 32 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →