Arthur
Possibly “bear”*
Boy’s name · Celtic · /ˈɑːθə/
What Arthur means
From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”). Other suggestions exist, including a Latinized (Romano-British) name; compare Latin Artorius.
A male given name from the Celtic languages. In continuous use as a given name since early Middle Ages. Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Source: Wiktionary, “Arthur” (revision 93486917), CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Arthur?
▲ 18 vs 2024
▼ 1 vs 2024
▲ 5 vs 2024
US: Rising: up from #292 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #37 in 2015.
Biggest US share so far: 1881, when 1,575 boys got the name (#14 that year). First in the US records in 1880.
How common
- About 1 in 444 baby boys in the US in 2025
- About 1 in 85 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
- About 1 in 124 baby boys in Scotland in 2025
“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.
Where in the US
Most popular in VT (11.55 per 1,000 boys), DC (8.71 per 1,000 boys), ME (7.28 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.
SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.
US vs UK
Arthur is #87 in the US and #5 in England & Wales (2025).
| Rank 2025 | Babies | How common | Rank 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | #87 | 3,847 | 1 in 444 | #292 |
| England & Wales | #5 | 3,211 | 1 in 85 | #37 |
| Scotland | #19 | 158 | 1 in 124 | #151 |
Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).
Boy or girl?
In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Arthur were boys.
| Girls | Boys | |
|---|---|---|
| US 2025 | 0 | 3,847 |
| England & Wales 2025 | 0 | 3,211 |
| US all years since 1880 | 3,201 | 548,729 |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 0 | 46,797 |
Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.
How to say it
IPA from Wiktionary.
Other spellings parents chose in 2025
- Arthor6 US
- Arther5 US
Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.
If you like Arthur
Boys
- Harvey#251“iron + blazing”*
- Rory#199“red-haired king”*
- Malcolm#272Variant of Calum, meaning “dove”*
- Ellis#243“benevolent, kind”*
- Calum#799“dove”*
- Idris#694Editor’s note More popular in England & Wales than the US: #142 vs #694 in 2025
For a sister
- Blaire#384Variant of Blair, meaning “field, plain”*
- Eileen#654possibly “radiance, beauty”*
- Winifred#922Editor’s note Up from #1,437 in 2015 to #922 in 2025 in the US
- Maeve#76“intoxicating”*
- Gwendolyn#360Variant of Gwendolen, meaning “white, fair, blessed + ring, bow…*
- Guinevere#898Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #898 vs #2,788 in 2025
Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Irish & Celtic, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Arthur’s. Rank is US 2025.
Famous people named Arthur
- Arthur Conan Doyle British writer and physician (1859–1930)
- Arthur Schopenhauer German philosopher (1788-1860)
- Arthur Rimbaud French poet (1854-1891)
- Arthur C. Clarke British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917–2008)
- Arthur Miller American playwright and essayist (1915–2005)
Characters
- Arthur Hastings fictional character created by Agatha Christie; the companion, friend and aide to detective Hercule Poirot
- Arthur Morgan fictional character from the video game Red Dead Redemption 2
People with this given name on Wikidata that have an English Wikipedia article, most widely covered first. Descriptions from Wikidata.
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