Names
Mardi (Diedrich Christian Martens, dates unknown)
Given its history of spelling change – Martena (1885), Martensgasse (1893), Martinstraße (1907), Мартенская ул. (1907), Martenstraße (1913) – the street seems to be named after a landowner with property on the corner of Liivalaia (they no longer connect). At various times in the 19th C, the northern half was named after one or more other individuals called Арефьев or Орехов (Aref'yev or Orekhov) and apparently renamed as Lennuki (1936-1991) during the Soviet occupation. Back in the day (pre-1917ish), the street was also known for its brothels. Ironically, the one at No.3 owned by Madame Jevdokia Blokhina, originally a boarding-house for girls, was later converted into a hospital and today a medical lab and AIDS Prevention Centre.
Mardipere (Mardipere)
Martin’s home(stead), former farm name. Farm group. See also Põllumäe.
Margareeta (Margareeta)
Margaret (garden, after the nearby tower). See Paks Margareeta.
Marjamaa (Marjamaa)
Berry patch (in a wood), lit. ‘berryland’. Formerly known as Muti. Not to be confused with double-‘a’ Maarjamaa, Estonian for Terra Mariana / Mariae, or Land of Mary, the official name of medieval Livonia from the 13th to 16th C, now also used as a poetic, eestalgic, sentimental or jocular nickname for Estonia.
Marmori (Marmor)
Marble. New street assigned 2020-08-19. Interestingly: määrama, to assign, appoint, decree, etc., is just one typo away from määrima, to befoul, defile or grease someone’s palms…
