Arthur
Arthur was the 87th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,847 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1921 (10,527). Over the last ten years it has moved up 205 places. More babies were named Arthur in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Welsh, Celtic, Latin
Say it AR-ther /ˈɑrθər/
- Rank in 2025
- #87 boys, up 76 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,847boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192110,527 babies
- Total since 1880
- 551,930babies recorded
What does the name Arthur mean?
Arthur is the name of the legendary British king of the 5th or 6th century. Its origin is uncertain. DMNES and Wiktionary both lean toward a Celtic word for 'bear', Welsh arth, Proto-Celtic artos; other proposals include the Roman family name Artorius. DMNES credits the medieval popularity of the name directly to the Arthurian stories, which spread from Britain to France and across Europe. DMNES finds it in English records from 1189 on.
arth (Welsh, “bear”)*artos (Proto-Celtic, “bear”)Artorius (Latin, “Roman family name (alternative)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Origin uncertain; a Celtic 'bear' word is the leading view, with Latin Artorius as an alternative.
Related names: Art, Artie, Arturo, Artur.
See also: Welsh names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Arthur', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Arthur', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Arthur
The usual nicknames for Arthur are Art and Artie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Arthur in the last five years, fewer than 1 were named Art, against 2 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Arthurs go by each one.
Arthur popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 3,201 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #87 | 3,847 |
| 2020 | #163 | 2,338 |
| 2010 | #388 | 730 |
| 2000 | #316 | 914 |
| 1990 | #197 | 1,542 |
| 1980 | #147 | 1,821 |
| 1970 | #111 | 2,981 |
| 1960 | #82 | 5,194 |
| 1950 | #46 | 7,161 |
| 1940 | #33 | 6,510 |
| 1930 | #23 | 8,284 |
| 1920 | #18 | 10,236 |
| 1910 | #17 | 1,942 |
| 1900 | #15 | 1,853 |
| 1890 | #14 | 1,610 |
| 1880 | #14 | 1,599 |
How popular is Arthur, counting every spelling?
Arthur has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #94 for boys in 2025, against #87 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Nicholas/Nicolas and Elliot/Elliott/Eliot move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Arthur?
3,847 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Arthur (1.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Arthur born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Arthur.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Arthur?
About 200,000 people born in the US named Arthur are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 37 and 74. That makes Arthur a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Arthur by state
How common Arthur was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.7×), Vermont (3.4×), Alaska (2.9×), Montana (2.5×), New Hampshire (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Arthur: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Arthur, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Arthur
What does Arthur mean?
The origin of Arthur is uncertain: Origin uncertain; a Celtic 'bear' word is the leading view, with Latin Artorius as an alternative.
How popular is the name Arthur?
Arthur was the 87th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,847 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1921 (10,527). Over the last ten years it has moved up 205 places. More babies were named Arthur in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Arthur a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Arthur in the US.
Where is Arthur most popular?
In 2021–2025, Arthur was most common in District of Columbia (6.44 per 1,000 boys), followed by Vermont and Alaska.