Arthur
Meaning
of unknown meaning, possibly Celtic artos "bear" or the Roman family name Artorius; the legendary British king
Goes by Art, Artie
Famously borne by tennis pioneer Arthur Ashe.
The story
Arthur's etymology is unsettled and the honest answer is that nobody has closed the case. It may come from a Celtic word for bear, or from the Roman family name Artorius, and the king who made it famous may or may not have been a real person. The name outgrew the question entirely. In US records Arthur was enormous: nearly 98,000 babies in the 1920s, a scale almost no name reaches now. It fell for eighty years to about 8,300 in the 2000s, then turned and has passed 17,500 so far this decade. That is a full collapse and a genuine recovery inside one set of records. Our own data also files Arthur among Portuguese names, and it is worth knowing that in Brazil the name has been a modern favorite rather than a revival. Art and Artie both wait inside it.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Arthur peaked in the 2020s.
Popularity in Brazil
617,823 people · the #28 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 329 · median age 7
Among people named Arthur living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 150,994 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Arthur
People given the name Arthur in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Arthur deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Arthur truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Arthur fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Arthur travels
Portuguese · of unknown meaning, possibly Celtic artos "bear" (legendary King Arthur)
British and London · a name of unresolved meaning, possibly Celtic artos "bear"; first glimpsed in early Welsh poems and chronicles
Chinese American · possibly Celtic artos "bear" with wiros "man" or rixs "king", the meaning unknown; a classic name carried across generations
Keep exploring
Names like Arthur · Nicknames for Arthur · Middle names for Arthur · British and London baby names · Portuguese and Brazilian baby names · Chinese American baby names
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