Arthur Name Meaning

The name Arthur has been given various meanings over the centuries. The most popular interpretation is that it comes from the Latin word “arturus”, which means “bear”, suggesting a brave and powerful leader. Some have also suggested that the name is derived from the Celtic word for “stone”, suggesting a strong and impenetrable foundation.

Origins of the Name Arthur

The name Arthur is believed to have originated in ancient Britain. According to legend, he was the leader of a group of warriors known as the Knights of the Round Table. This legendary figure is thought to have lived sometime in the 5th or 6th century, and is said to have fought with immense courage and skill against the Anglo-Saxons who were invading Britain at the time.

Popularity of the Name Arthur

The name Arthur gained in popularity during the Middle Ages, as a result of the popularity of the legendary King Arthur and the myths and stories that surrounded him. This popularity was further boosted during the 19th century, thanks to the publication of the novel “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott, in which the hero is named Arthur.

The name’s popularity has continued to rise ever since, and is now one of the most popular names for boys in the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries.

Final Thoughts on the Name Arthur

Today, the name Arthur is synonymous with strength and courage, and is still a popular choice for parents looking to give their son a regal name. It is also used as a surname in some cases, as well as a nickname for people named Arthur.

Infographic of Arthur name meaning, which is Meaning bear, Arthur is a Celtic name.
Ask your friends & family about Arthur…

Arthur Name Popularity

How popular is the name Arthur? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 17 1,931 0.5484%
1911 18 2,365 0.6351%
1912 15 4,678 0.9276%
1913 17 5,413 0.9547%
1914 18 6,638 0.9525%
1915 18 8,560 0.9422%
1916 18 8,917 0.9231%
1917 17 9,282 0.9278%
1918 17 10,098 0.9409%
1919 19 9,537 0.9108%
1920 18 10,236 0.9206%
1921 19 10,521 0.9188%
1922 19 10,112 0.9077%
1923 19 9,922 0.8859%
1924 20 10,172 0.8759%
1925 20 9,983 0.8832%
1926 20 9,456 0.8597%
1927 22 9,337 0.8435%
1928 22 8,875 0.8295%
1929 22 8,468 0.8175%
1930 23 8,275 0.7922%
1931 23 7,519 0.7618%
1932 25 6,913 0.6997%
1933 25 6,515 0.6993%
1934 29 6,436 0.6658%
1935 29 6,542 0.6732%
1936 30 6,259 0.6498%
1937 31 6,309 0.6403%
1938 32 6,515 0.6364%
1939 32 6,377 0.6269%
1940 33 6,507 0.6122%
1941 33 6,733 0.5982%
1942 29 8,019 0.635%
1943 30 7,777 0.5957%
1944 30 7,250 0.585%
1945 34 6,797 0.5573%
1946 36 7,537 0.5108%
1947 38 8,253 0.4944%
1948 44 7,583 0.475%
1949 44 7,472 0.4645%
1950 46 7,160 0.4447%
1951 44 7,416 0.4374%
1952 47 7,234 0.4144%
1953 50 6,996 0.3953%
1954 52 6,860 0.3753%
1955 56 6,572 0.3573%
1956 60 6,277 0.3323%
1957 65 6,058 0.3148%
1958 71 5,666 0.2998%
1959 77 5,467 0.2877%
1960 82 5,188 0.2738%
1961 85 4,812 0.2549%
1962 91 4,434 0.2415%
1963 91 4,270 0.2379%
1964 90 4,149 0.2357%
1965 96 3,771 0.2306%
1966 96 3,474 0.2225%
1967 94 3,309 0.218%
1968 98 3,034 0.2021%
1969 97 3,133 0.2034%
1970 111 2,968 0.1865%
1971 117 2,808 0.1869%
1972 119 2,390 0.1755%
1973 119 2,194 0.1692%
1974 126 2,069 0.1592%
1975 128 2,003 0.1559%
1976 137 1,891 0.1467%
1977 134 1,957 0.1452%
1978 140 1,864 0.1386%
1979 145 1,848 0.1311%
1980 148 1,796 0.1228%
1981 152 1,783 0.1213%
1982 156 1,785 0.1195%
1983 155 1,730 0.1172%
1984 160 1,675 0.1126%
1985 158 1,699 0.1119%
1986 169 1,563 0.1035%
1987 177 1,538 0.1008%
1988 181 1,541 0.0989%
1989 190 1,515 0.0939%
1990 195 1,517 0.0915%
1991 210 1,463 0.0898%
1992 219 1,380 0.0865%
1993 235 1,211 0.0777%
1994 249 1,127 0.0734%
1995 252 1,090 0.0723%
1996 275 989 0.0661%
1997 288 941 0.0636%
1998 289 947 0.0633%
1999 321 843 0.0563%
2000 314 893 0.0585%
2001 318 853 0.0566%
2002 327 809 0.054%
2003 350 764 0.0502%
2004 357 759 0.0498%
2005 355 799 0.0523%
2006 382 754 0.0482%
2007 377 784 0.0497%
2008 362 826 0.0534%
2009 375 779 0.0521%
2010 388 699 0.0485%
2011 336 864 0.0606%
2012 353 831 0.0583%
2013 320 1,000 0.0702%
2014 303 1,125 0.0772%
2015 289 1,225 0.0842%
2016 271 1,312 0.091%
2017 243 1,488 0.1066%
2018 228 1,624 0.1182%
2019 176 2,167 0.1601%
2020 166 2,235 0.1756%
2021 155 2,442 0.1998%
2022 142 2,587 0.1961%

Alaska (AK)

Alabama (AL)

Arkansas (AR)

Arizona (AZ)

California (CA)

Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Delaware (DE)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Maine (ME)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

North Dakota (ND)

Nebraska (NE)

New Hampshire (NH)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

South Dakota (SD)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Vermont (VT)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Wyoming (WY)

Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Arthur

If you like Arthur, you’ll love these other names like Arthur.

What names are diminutives of Arthur?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Arthur sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Arthur, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Art

A diminutive form of Arthur.

Irish

What names are variants of Arthur?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Arthur.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aart

Celtic

Arrt

Celtic

Art

A diminutive form of Arthur.

Irish

Artair

Scottish

Arte

Celtic

Arther

Celtic

Arthor

Celtic

Arthuro

Celtic

Artie

Follower of the goddess Artemis

Greek

Arto

Celtic

Artor

Celtic

Artro

Celtic

Artturi

Celtic

Artur

Celtic

Arturo

An Italian and Spanish form of Arthur.

Italian

Artus

Celtic

Arty

Follower of the goddess Artemis

Greek

What names are similar to Arthur?

Find a name that’s like Arthur, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Arthel

English

Lists With Arthur

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Arthur.

Siblings of Arthur

Mamas with kids named Arthur also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Arabella

Answered prayer

Latin

Alexander

Defender of man

Greek

Anastasia

Resurrection

Greek

Arya

Faithful friend

Persian

Jordan

To descend

Hebrew

Makayla

Who is like God?

American

Brittany

From Brittany or Great Britain

Latin

Stella

Celestial star

Latin

25 Comments

  1. Classic and fit for a king 🙂 We are also a family of ‘A’ names.

    Reply

  2. His father is named Arthur. It’s also an older name that I feel has been time tested similar to my own. So maybe when he grows up he will meet a young gal with an old name just like his parents ??

    Reply

  3. Arthur is the name of the first born males for the last 5 generations. The middle name changes though.

    Reply

  4. First pick was Guillermo.
    Between Arthur and Antony. Because of the show Arthur. Aardvark.

    I love his name. I gave him my middle name. Feels so special.

    Beautiful baby I wouldn’t know what else his name could be.
    Arty L. A.

    Reply

    • l think arthur is given to a boy who will become a legendary leader

      Reply

  5. We chose his name since it was a family name from both sides of our families. It also means strong and courageous! We wanted the name we gave our son to be on that would mean something every time we spoke it.

    Reply

  6. I chose the male name Arthur because of my roots of Scottish/Celtic origin. King Arthur is a favorite story of mine. My great grandpas name was Arthur and a good family friend of my husbands grandma name was Arthur. Also, for fun, I will say.. my last name is Morgan. So his full name is Arthur Morgan. If you know, you know 😉

    Reply

  7. His dad chose the name
    I think it’s a cool name, I like it
    I love my son very much, he’s so active all the time, always smiling

    Reply

  8. My husband is a huge bookworm and the story of King Arthur is one of his most loved since he was a child. I also grew up loving a book series called Arthur and the Invisibles so it had a personal connection for both of us.
    You don’t hear that name anymore and it sounds so charming and robust when you hear it.
    Our little King Arthur. ?

    Reply

  9. We love Disney…and there are so many princesses/ female characters. However, not so many Princes. So next we looked into Kings and came up with Arthur. It is also a classic name and easy enough to say and read but not you hear everyday.

    Reply

  10. I originally liked Liam but I knew it was one of the most popular names for the last 3 years and I wanted him to have a more unique name. I love that it’s Celtic in origin and means “bear” since I call him little bear a lot. I sometimes don’t like that people associate it with elderly men and will ask if I call him Arty, but I do like that it’s a strong name and one of the nicknames you can use for it is Thor!

    Reply

    • I didn’t think about the nickname Thor! That’s fun!!

      Reply

  11. It’s a family name, we also like the meaning of it

    Reply

  12. We wanted something timeless/classic but not overused. Also it needed to go with names of twin older sisters (one in heaven) Isla and Zo?.

    Reply

  13. We wanted to choose a name that was in the family and would not be very common. One of the more distant relatives on my side was called Arthur, and we liked that name. Also my husband’s favorite animal is a Bear, and this what the name means in Celtic.

    Reply

  14. Arthur is cute name! That’s my crush name so it’s cute! Very good! 😀

    Reply

  15. Arthur was my grandpa’s middle name. We like how it fits with our girls’ names which are both elegant Shakespearean names.

    Reply

  16. Arthur is named for his great grandfather. We named him Arthur Alexander since we couldn’t agree on an A name and this way he can choose what he’d like to go by when he’s older. We call him Artie. He is our first baby.

    Reply

  17. My husband and I both liked Arthur after hearing it in an audiobook. The character was referred to as Art or Arty which we also really liked. My husband is an artist which is a happy coincidence too.

    Reply

  18. I have always loved the name Arthur and thought it perfect for one of my 2 Princes.

    Reply

  19. We wanted a more classic name that also wasn’t overused. Arthur is named after his great grandpa too.

    Reply

  20. King Arthur is one of my fianc?’s favorite stories.

    Reply

  21. We’re brazilian and one of the biggest soccer players of all time, Zico, is actually named Arthur (Zico is a nickname). As my husband is a big fan of Zico we chose this beautiful powerful name to our son, born on Sep 8th 2017. In portuguese it’s traditionally spelled Artur, without an H, but usually when people don’t know if it has an H or not they usually put the H, so we chose the English version of it.

    Reply

  22. It’s an old fashioned name.
    We loved it because it’s strong and classic.
    When I think of an Arthur, I think of a kind, thoughtful gentleman.

    Reply

  23. We wanted a traditional name that had fallen out of popularity. I wanted a name that would suit my son throughout his lifetime, as tempting as it is to go with something cute for when they’re babes and children, it needed to be a name for a man as well. It was also a family name for both of my husband’s parents, so it just felt right.

    Reply

Share your thoughts on the name Arthur

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required *

*