The municipality is made up of a large northern section and a small unattached southern area that was known as the municipality of Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay until its merger with Sainte-Martine on September 9, 1999.

Sainte-Martine is named in honor of Martina of Rome, martyred in 226.

[1] The municipality lost a section of its territory in 1885 for the creation of the parish of Très-Saint-Sacrement.

It also lost a sizeable part in 1937 when Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay split from Saint-Martine to become its own municipality, but it was eventually reattached to Sainte-Martine in 1999.

[5] In addition to the namesake main population centre, the following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries:[1] List of former mayors:[10] The Exo du Haut-Saint-Laurent sector provides commuter and local bus services.