Why do people call Martin Luther King Jr. Martha Luther King?

Is this a Southern thing or a Black thang?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. Tennessee on April 4, 1968. Over the six decades since his murder, I have observed something at least a half-dozen times. African Americans, male and female, will pronounce his name Martha Luther King.

The three words are spoken more quickly than when the Baptist preacher’s full name is mentioned. I don’t understand how you can confuse “Tha” with “tin” or a woman’s name with a man’s. I’m not sure if people from other cultures experience this, as I have only heard "Martha" used instead of "Martin" in the African American community in the South, and only in reference to Dr. King.

Traditionally, Martha is feminine and means lady of the manor or mistress of the house. The definition of Martin is masculine, and means war-like and related to Mars (the god of war).

The mispronunciation continues

It had probably been at least a decade since I last heard anyone use "Martha" instead of "Martin," but I experienced it firsthand last week. I attended a church gathering, and while food was being served, I heard a Black woman who looked to be in her early 70s say very clearly, "Martha Luther King." As soon as she spoke, I began to wonder where this mispronunciation came from, but I still have no answers.

Surely everyone has seen Dr. King’s name in print at some point. His name and image are displayed on fans in funeral homes and African American churches across the nation. Still, we all mispronounce words. My grandchildren often tell me I don't say "Saturday" but pronounce the seventh day of the week as "Saardy," but I don’t realize it when I’m speaking.

Curious yet no answers

I posed the question of referring to MLK as Martin in a Facebook post, but 24 hours later, no one has commented.. I also asked five individuals, and two of them said they had heard people say "Martha" instead of "Martin." One of them seemed annoyed that I had asked the question, but my intention was not to offend anyone.

I am curious whether this is a cultural or regional phenomenon, perhaps a Southern dialect, or if people across the country mispronounce Dr. King’s name in this way. As mentioned earlier, when the full name of Dr. Martin Luther King is spoken, it typically follows a normal speech pattern. However, those I’ve heard say "Martha Luther King" seem to speed up the words.

Culture shapes language significantly. Depending on your location, you might refer to a carbonated beverage as soda, soft drink, pop, or soda pop. If you ask for sweet tea above the Mason-Dixon line, you might receive a few puzzled stares, but in the Southern region of the U.S., sweet tea is a beloved drink.

What's in a name?

Dr. King was born Michael King Jr. in 1929. In 1934, "Daddy King" toured Europe and visited Germany, where Martin Luther, the German priest and reformer, was born. He returned to the state and decided to change his and his five-year-old son's names from Michael to Martin Luther.

Previously, the man who became the face of the Civil Rights movement was known as "Little Mike". If Martin Luther King Sr. had left his and his son's names as they were, there would be no mispronunciation.

I was not successful in learning why and when people first began saying Martha Luther King, instead of Martin Luther King. Still, this article will be available for others who may be seeking information on the subject or perhaps have the answers.