Martha or Emma?

[insanelycheerful]

Which of these do you prefer and why? I love both and am being (typically!) indecisive!

Love Martha

I have an Emma. My husband chose the name, I had all sorts of ideas on my list - Iris, Lois....but he really wanted to choose, so Emma it is. And I have to say that it is perfect. Great sound, great look when written - strong, but feminine and works with my other children's names.

I know of lots of Emmas of my age (34) and around, my name is Kate - so hundreds of us too - although I notice that it's coming back into fashion now...(old!!) but of my Emmas age (5) none. Absolutely nada. Emilia/Amelia/Amelie but no Emma's. So I feel quite smug and ahead of the times!!

Martha is a beautiful name too, but I think perhaps more popular atm. Both names would work well together as a first and middle too perhaps?

Let us know what you choose!

Brokenhearted - I assume they are adults though? I know quite a few adult Emmas, from school days, work etc but don't know any babies or children called Emma. I feel it was very popular when I was born/growing up, but is much less popular now? Not that popularity is a major factor for me, but at the same time I know I am slightly put off a name if I already know lots of little ones with the same name.

I'd be very surprised if Martha is currently more popular than Emma.

Brokenhearted - I assume they are adults though? I know quite a few adult Emmas, from school days, work etc but don't know any babies or children called Emma. I feel it was very popular when I was born/growing up, but is much less popular now? Not that popularity is a major factor for me, but at the same time I know I am slightly put off a name if I already know lots of little ones with the same name.

Emma was the 50th most popular name in 2012 in the UK.

Thanks Devon. I agree Emma is a beautiful name. Like you, I love the way it looks written down even!

Based on my experience, Martha is more popular than Emma, given that I know a 5 year old and 6 month old Martha (within about 2 miles of each other), but no baby or child Emmas! I suspect Martha is having a bit of a revival at the moment?

I do feel a bit silly with all this agonising over girls names as I can't help but think this is boy no 3!!

What's your boy's name?

Also undecided squoosh! Current short list is:

Thomas (love Tom and Tommy)
Arthur (yes, quite funny with Martha!)
William (love Will and Billy)

Martha!
Emma is 90s boring and very popular in USA

Although I met an toddler Emma today and she was a cutie!

I also think Martha is having a revival.

Would you consider Emmaline? Just to be a little different but not youneek..

I quite like Emmaline, but don't love it. I know it is a real name but it feels a bit "made up" to me? I like the classic simplicity of Emma.

Emma for me but then I have a norf london accent so Martha would be pronounced Marfa.

Emma currently no. 1 on my list, mainly because all the grown up Emmas I know are amazing feisty women . Plus less frilly than Emily Amelia etc which are also too many syllables to go with my ridiculous surname!

I think both names are pretty and if I was to choose now I would pick Emma; given the choice when my DC were little and it would have been Martha. Fickle, that's me!

Best of luck with the name OP, btw I love Arthur for from your boys names list

DD2 is Martha. We haven't met any others at any baby groups etc & get lots of very positive comments on her name!
DD1 is Florence. I think the names go nicely together.
I love Thomas from your boys list.

I like Emma. I think Martha is a bit too trendy.

Martha. Unless, as pp said, you live somewhere where it will be pronounced Maar-fa.
Even in recent popularity lists, Emma is still more popular than Martha. But if you are considering William and Thomas as boys' names, you probably don't mind if the name is popular!

Any news OP?! This thread seems pretty well equally divided...not much use to your indecision! Both great names though, so you can't go wrong!

There is a danger of "Mar-fa", initially from my 2 DSs! Which I admit has played on my mind!

Mariella was my no 1 choice for a girl (and still is really) but I thought DH was less keen so I had kind of given up on it, but he revealed the other day that it is actually his front runner at the moment. So perhaps neither Emma nor Martha after all!

Not overly bothered by the baby name charts/popularity, given that my personal experience doesn't tend to bear out the top 10 etc, eg 3 Stanleys in a toddler group I go to, but it is quite far down the name lists (albeit has shot up in popularity recently). Whereas I only know 1 Thomas, for example. I think you can get too hung up on the name charts and end up ruling out name(s) you actually love. Also DS1's name was about 50-60 in the list when we had him but is now more like 30, and it's a name you hear much more. If we had based our decision on the charts (we didn't), we could have been quite disappointed. So I am a firm believer in choosing the name(s) you love, first and foremost!

I love Martha but Emma is pretty- what about Emmy instead, less common

I agree with you insanely go with the name you love! So we have a new entry!

Gorgeous name.

Would you use one of your others as a middle?

Sleepdodger I do like Emmy, but feel I'd use it as a pet name for an Emma, as for me it feels a bit like you wanted Emma but worried it was too popular so used something similar! Also wonder if people would constantly mishear it as Emily?

I do love Mariella, Devon! I know I must love it as it was my 1st choice for DS1 had he been a girl, and he is nearly 5!

It is the one girls name that has really stuck with me ever since I had to think of baby names.

Would probably go with Florence as middle name as we both love the name and it was DH's lovely Granny's name. Both DSs have family names as middle names too.