Given name & surname
Arthur
“strong as a bear”
Arthur’s strongest association is the world of medieval British legend, but the name’s original meaning remains elusive. Its later history includes a Victorian revival shaped by the Duke of Wellington, Tennyson’s poetry and renewed interest in the medieval past.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Arthur is sometimes interpreted as “strong as a bear,” but a secure literal meaning is not established. Its heroic associations arise clearly from Arthurian legend and should be distinguished from a proven word-for-word etymology.
Where it comes from
Arthur belongs to a Celtic and British naming tradition, though its precise derivation is obscure. Early material includes the Latinized form Artorius; that form alone does not settle the name’s ultimate roots.
How it developed
Arthur’s historical forms include the Latinized Artorius. Its deeper derivation is obscure, so the modern spelling provides no secure word-for-word explanation.
The story
Medieval literature built an extensive body of legend around King Arthur, whose historical identity is uncertain. In nineteenth-century Britain, the fame of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King helped renew interest in the name. The wider Victorian enthusiasm for medieval stories formed part of that revival.
Arthur through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 551,930
- 548,729 boys · 3,201 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 10,579 babies
- 2025
- 3,847
- #87 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +68%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,847 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 87 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 67.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10,527 in 1921. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (367). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 205,844 as a first name in 2020; 27,204 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Arthur’s family of names
In English usage, Arthur has a diminutive in Art. Arthur shares a linguistic root with Arturo. In Portuguese usage, Arthur has a related form in Artur.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Arthur has relatives in 32 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Celtic roots to each of them.
29 related names in 32 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 25
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Arturovariant · Italian, Spanish
- Artdiminutive · English, German
- Arturvariant · Portuguese, German
- Artiediminutive · English
- Arthorvariant · English
- Arthervariant
- Tuidiminutive · Portuguese
- Artydiminutive · English
Show 17 moreShow fewer
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Arcturusequivalent
- Arthurinefeminine form
- Aurtherequivalent
- Artoriuscognate · Latin
- Arturusequivalent
- Atsequivalent
- Artturequivalent
- Артърequivalent
Show 18 moreShow fewer
People named Arthur
- Arthur Conan DoyleBritish writer and physician (1859–1930)
- Arthur SchopenhauerGerman philosopher (1788-1860)
- Arthur C. ClarkeBritish science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917–2008)
- Neville ChamberlainPrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 19401869–1940
- Arthur MillerAmerican playwright and essayist (1915–2005)
- Christopher PlummerCanadian actor (1929–2021)
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonBritish Field Marshal, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1828–1830, 1834 (1769-1852)
- Arthur BalfourBritish Prime Minister, Conservative politician, and statesman (1848-1930)
- Arthur ComptonAmerican physicist (1892–1962)
Characters named Arthur: Arthur Hastings (fictional character created by Agatha Christie; the companion, friend and aide to detective Hercule Poirot), Arthur Morgan (the video game Red Dead Redemption 2), Arthur Dent (fictional character), Fonzie (fictional character on "Happy Days").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Arthur, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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