Given name & surname
Macarthur
“the son of Arthur”
Macarthur is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “the son of Arthur.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “the son of Arthur.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1941. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Macarthur through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,291
- 1,291 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1942
- 142 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,489 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −49%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,489 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 49.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 142 in 1942. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 964 as a first name in 2020; 3,948 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.
Macarthur’s family of names
Macarthur has a related form in McArthur. Macarthur has a related form in Macarther. Macarthur has a related form in McArther.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Macarthur, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Artis
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Arliss
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>99% boys