A judge in the US has ordered a baby's first name to be changed from Messiah to Martin, arguing that the only true messiah is Jesus Christ, reports say.

The parents of seven-month old Messiah DeShawn Martin had gone to court in Tennessee over his last name.

But Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the first name changed too, local broadcaster WBIR-TV said.

Last year more than 700 babies were named Messiah in the US, according to the Social Security Administration.

Christianity sees Jesus as the Messiah, while Judaism uses the term to mean an anticipated saviour of the Jews.

Dictionary definitions say the word can mean anyone seen as a saviour or a liberator.