MARTHA FORTNER

New Testament name, of Aramaic rather than Hebrew origin, meaning ‘lady’. It was borne by the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany (John 11:1). According to Luke 10:38, when Jesus visited the house of Mary and Martha, Mary sat at his feet, listening to him, while Martha ‘was cumbered about much serving’, so that she complained to Jesus, ‘Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?’ For this reason, the name Martha has always been associated with hard domestic work, as opposed to the contemplative life.

German: variant (also Förtner) or Americanized form of Pförtner, occupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper in a great house, castle, or monastery, Middle High German portenaere (from Latin porta ‘door’, ‘gate’). Compare English Porter.