Given name & surname
Arturo
“strong as a bear”
Arturo is a variant of Arthur. Arthur is sometimes interpreted as “strong as a bear,” but a secure literal meaning is not established. Arthur’s heroic associations arise clearly from Arthurian legend and should be distinguished from a proven word-for-word etymology.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Arturo is a variant of Arthur. Arthur is sometimes interpreted as “strong as a bear,” but a secure literal meaning is not established. Arthur’s heroic associations arise clearly from Arthurian legend and should be distinguished from a proven word-for-word etymology.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Arturo is a variant of Arthur. 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.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Italian usage, Arturo developed from Ἀρκτοῦρος. Arturo is a variant of Arthur. The shared background comes through Arthur: Arthur’s historical forms include the Latinized Artorius. Arthur’s deeper derivation is obscure, so the modern spelling provides no secure word-for-word explanation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1898. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Arturo is a variant of Arthur. The history of Arthur gives this family its wider 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Arturo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 57,291
- 57,082 boys · 209 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 1,093 babies
- 2025
- 446
- #627 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 446 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 627 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,093 in 2005. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (124). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 84,408 as a first name in 2020; 365 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.
Arturo’s family of names
In English usage, Arturo has a diminutive in Art. Arturo shares a linguistic root with Arthur. In Spanish usage, Arturo has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Artur.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Arturo has relatives in 9 languages.
8 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ArturPolish, German
- Arcturusequivalent
- Artoequivalent
- Artairequivalent
- 亞瑟Chinese
- ΑρθούροςGreek
- Arthurusequivalent
- Артурequivalent
Show 4 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Arturo
- Arturo VidalChilean association football playerborn 1987
- Arturo ToscaniniItalian conductor (1867–1957)
- Arturo Pérez-ReverteSpanish writer and journalistborn 1951
- Arturo Umberto IlliaPresident of Argentina (1900-1983)
- Arturo FrondiziPresident of Argentina (1908–1995)
- Arturo AlessandriChilean politician and President (1868–1950)
- Arturo Benedetti MichelangeliItalian pianist1920–1995
- Arturo SandovalCuban jazz trumpeter, pianist and composerborn 1949
- Arturo RipsteinMexican film directorborn 1943
Characters named Arturo: Arturo Román (« Money Heist », a hostage and the Director of the Royal Mint of Spain).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Arturo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gavino
“a little white falcon”
>99% boys
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Parsifal is a variant of Percival. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
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Lancelott
Lancelott is a variant of Lancelot. One French interpretation is “an attendant; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.” Its derivation is not certain.
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Isoude
“of fair aspect”
—
Esoude
“a woman known for her beauty”
—
Esoud
“a woman known for her beauty”
—
Gaveinah
“resembling the white falcon; woman from Gabio”
—
Gaveina
“resembling the white falcon; woman from Gabio”
—