How to say it
AR · thur
/ˈɑr.θɚ/
Masculine
Arthur
Bear, possibly 'bear-king'
What it means
Likely from a Celtic root artos, 'bear,' possibly combined with a word for 'man' or 'king.' The name of legendary king Arthur of Camelot, the wizard Merlin's pupil and the once-and-future king.
Arthur's etymology is disputed but most linguists trace it to a Brittonic word for bear, possibly combined with viros (man) or ríxs (king), making something like 'bear-king.' The legendary Arthur of the Round Table appears first in Welsh poetry, then in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century Latin chronicle, then in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. The historical question of whether he existed is unsettled; the cultural footprint isn't. Queen Victoria revived the name in the 1840s by giving it to her third son, which pushed it back into wide use. It dropped sharply mid-20th century and has come roaring back since 2015 as part of the vintage-revival wave. Art and Artie are the standard nicknames.
Popularity over time
peaked at #14 in 1880, currently #87 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Art and Artie are the standard shorts. Art reads grown-up, Artie reads warm and child-coded.
- Pop culture
King Arthur of legend is the dominant association, with the PBS Arthur the aardvark series anchoring the name for the under-25 set.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- King Arthur Legendary 5th- or 6th-century king of the Britons, the Round Table
- Arthur Conan Doyle Creator of Sherlock Holmes
- Arthur Ashe First Black man to win Wimbledon and the US Open
Spelling variants
- Artie
- Artur
- Arturo
Names with the same feeling
See Arthur from another angle
By meaning
By style