Martin

From the Latin Martinus, a name dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war, Martin has walked an unexpectedly peaceful road. Saint Martin of Tours, the Roman soldier who cut his cloak in half for a beggar, set the tone; Martin Luther cracked the Reformation open; Martin Luther King Jr. bent the twentieth century toward justice. The name sat near the top of American rolls through the 1960s and still hovers reliably in the 300s, a quiet classic across French, German, Spanish, and Slavic traditions. Two syllables, unshowy and upright, with centuries of conviction behind them.