My husband brought up the name [name]Seraphina[/name] last night as a tribute to [name]Sarah[/name], his mom. I think it’s pretty but my mother’s name is [name]Martha[/name] and I’m sure she’d be incredibly hurt to be left out – this is probably our last kiddo! [name]Both[/name] are biblical but I find [name]Martha[/name] much more dating. Ideas for a youthful middle for [name]Seraphina[/name] that transcends [name]Marta[/name]/[name]Marty[/name]/[name]Martine[/name]?
You could do [name]Maxine[/name] or [name]Martina[/name].
Also I know someone who’s just had a kid and called her [name]Martha[/name] with a twin [name]Naomi[/name]. [name]Martha[/name] as a middle name would be too bad if your worried about it being dated.
I was thinking of the name [name]Mary[/name], maybe [name]Maria[/name] or [name]Mariah[/name]/[name]Moriah[/name] and [name]Marena[/name]/ina. [name]Martina[/name] too.
What’s your mothers middle name? Or perhaps her maiden name would function as a middle name for your little girl.
In the [name]New[/name] Testament, [name]Mary[/name] of [name]Bethany[/name] is sister of [name]Martha[/name] (this probably means the Biblical [name]Martha[/name] was from [name]Bethany[/name] too). So if you’re OK with that religious heritage, [name]Bethany[/name] would have a tie to [name]Martha[/name]. [name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Bethany[/name] is pretty.
If you’re not tied to [name]Seraphina[/name], I think [name]Sarah[/name]-[name]Martha[/name] or [name]Martha[/name]-[name]Sarah[/name] is a pretty double-barreled middle.
The only useable [name]Martha[/name] variants I can think of (maybe) are [name]Martila[/name] and [name]Martella[/name], they don’t combine well with [name]Seraphina[/name] I don’t think though. They would with [name]Sarai[/name], for another [name]Sarah[/name] variant.
I happen to really like the name [name]Martha[/name] : D.
[name]Martha[/name] is Aramaic in origin, which few other names common in English are. It would be pretty indirect, but you could go that route. Some options would include:
[name]Anina[/name] (not good with [name]Seraphina[/name] though, and NB’s entry is confusing whether it’s Aramaic or Italian).
[name]Idra[/name] (“fig tree”)
[name]Marit[/name] (has the letters, and NB has it as Aramaic for “pearl”, a la its ties to [name]Margaret[/name], but I’m almost positive that’s inaccurate)
[name]Merona[/name] (NB is disparaging because it’s a kind of wool)
[name]Nahara[/name] (“light”)
[name]Raziela[/name] (“The [name]Lord[/name]'s [name]Secret[/name]”)
[name]Tabitha[/name] ("[name]Gazelle[/name]")
[name]Xiamara[/name] (“joyful deer”)
You could look for names with similar meanings. [name]Martha[/name] means “Lady”- not just “female” but more like, “lady or the house” or “mistress”. This definition could also be extended to “noblewoman”:
[name]Ada[/name]
[name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Adeline[/name]
[name]Alice[/name]
[name]Arwen[/name]
[name]Audra[/name]
[name]Audrey[/name]
[name]Donna[/name]
[name]Isolde[/name]
[name]Ethel[/name]
[name]Patricia[/name]
Or you could use the beginning of her name:
[name]Mara[/name]
[name]Marcella[/name]
[name]Marselle[/name]
[name]Marcia[/name]
[name]Marcy[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]
[name]Margo[/name]
[name]Maria[/name]
[name]Marian[/name]
[name]Maribel[/name]
[name]Marie[/name]
[name]Marigold[/name]
[name]Marilyn[/name]
[name]Marin[/name]
[name]Maris[/name]
[name]Marla[/name]
[name]Marlene[/name]
[name]Marlo[/name]
[name]Marni[/name]
[name]Mary[/name]
I think [name]Martha[/name] is actually a really pretty name and it’s coming back into fashion, it ranked #730 in 2012! 
[name]How[/name] about having [name]Martha[/name] as her middle name. Because [name]Sarah[/name] is altering to [name]Seraphina[/name] but being used as a first name, I think [name]Martha[/name] shouldn’t be changed to honour your mother a bit more, since its in the middle spot (I don’t really know if this made sense, sorry).
But here are some suggestions anyway:
[name]Marla[/name]
[name]Marcia[/name]
[name]Freja[/name] (I know its a stretch but [name]Martha[/name] and [name]Freja[/name] both mean lady)
[name]Donna[/name] (also means lady)
[name]Eartha[/name] ([name]Just[/name] changing the first initial)
Also… try doing a Super Search on Nameberry (its located under where you type a name, just in case you didn’t know). You can type in girls names that start with [name]Mar[/name] or end in tha etc.
Good [name]Luck[/name]
I think [name]Marta[/name] is pretty & sophisticated. And it’s also really literal so she won’t feel slighted. I think if [name]Sarah[/name] is getting an honor name with the sound of her name front-and-center, [name]Martha[/name] would probably appreciate something with a strong connection. I think [name]Seraphina[/name] [name]March[/name] could work too, if you are looking for something that sounds very modern. You could consider [name]Martha[/name]'s maiden name or occupation?
To honor [name]Martha[/name] I think
“[name]Marley[/name]” Is modern and sweet.
Sounds good with [name]Seraphina[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Marley[/name]
[name]Marley[/name] [name]Seraphina[/name]
I actually really like the name [name]Martha[/name], certainly more than I like [name]Marley[/name], [name]Marla[/name], or [name]Marta[/name].
But [name]Mara[/name] is okay, though more related to [name]Mary[/name] than to [name]Martha[/name].
Does she have a middle name? I’d be tempted to see if her middle name works, rather than mangle [name]Martha[/name].
Nicknames & Variations for [name]Martha[/name]
[name]Maarya[/name], [name]Maret[/name], [name]Marit[/name], [name]Mart[/name], [name]Martaha[/name], [name]Martelle[/name], [name]Marth[/name], [name]Marthan[/name], [name]Marthena[/name], [name]Marthine[/name], [name]Marthini[/name], [name]Marthy[/name], [name]Marti[/name], [name]Martie[/name], [name]Martta[/name], [name]Marty[/name], [name]Martyne[/name], [name]Martynne[/name], [name]Marva[/name], [name]Mata[/name], [name]Matti[/name], [name]Mattie[/name], [name]Matty[/name]
[name]Martha[/name]'s International Variations
[i][name]Martricka[/name] /i [name]Martita[/name], [name]Martila[/name] (Eastern European) [name]Martella[/name], [name]Marthe[/name] (French) [name]Martus[/name], [name]Marcsa[/name], [name]Martuska[/name] (Hungarian) [name]Maata[/name] (Maori) [name]Marcia[/name], [i][name]Masia[/name] /i [name]Marte[/name] (Scandinavian) [name]Moireach[/name] (Scottish) [name]Martina[/name], [name]Maita[/name], [name]Marta[/name] (Spanish)
my picks are italicized, i like the international vibe these give. think i like [name]Masia[/name] the best but its the farthest from [name]Martha[/name].
Thank you everyone for your replies (: I am highly surprised by the number of folks that find martha appealing. I’ve had some trouble because the only rival to DH was a man named [name]Martin[/name] and DH is a sore winner, haha. I love [name]Marit[/name] and [name]Moireach[/name]. [name]Mara[/name] is beautiful too but not so much with [name]Seraphina[/name].
My mother’s middle name is [name]Kay[/name] but using that would more honor me than anything, as my name is a combination of my mother’s middle and my sister’s middle.
I absolutely love [name]Seraphina[/name], it’s gorgeous,unique and classy!
some possible names:
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Marielle[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Maria[/name](I really like this one)
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Maribel[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Marcia[/name]
[name]Seraphina[/name] [name]Marit[/name] sounds greats!