boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Arthur

Meaning bear Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #87 Trend ↑ Rising 68%

From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”).

Rank 2025
#87
among boys · ↑18 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
3,847
named Arthur · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 444
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
10,579 babies
All-time total
551,930
#62 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Arthur popularity over time

551,930 babies have been named Arthur since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
510152018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 66 16,180 16,246 1,625 – #14
1890s 82 16,349 16,431 1,643 +1% #14
1900s 96 15,409 15,505 1,551 -6% #14
1910s 334 67,478 67,812 6,781 +337% #15
1920s 706 97,112 97,818 9,782 +44% #18
1930s 545 67,730 68,275 6,828 -30% #23
1940s 361 73,968 74,329 7,433 +9% #29
1950s 312 65,716 66,028 6,603 -11% #44
1960s 288 39,622 39,910 3,991 -40% #82
1970s 203 22,100 22,303 2,230 -44% #111
1980s 157 16,794 16,951 1,695 -24% #147
1990s 39 11,783 11,822 1,182 -30% #197
2000s – 8,342 8,342 834 -29% #316
2010s 5 12,627 12,632 1,263 +51% #177
2020s (to 2025) 7 17,519 17,526 2,921 +131% #87

Where Arthur is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 4,228 2.48 #78
2027 4,581 2.68 #72
2028 4,904 2.87 #64
2029 5,197 3.04 #60
2030 5,459 3.20 #56

Where Arthur is most popular

Boys named Arthur per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.76 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Vermont, and Alaska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Arthur born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 95 6.44 +266%
Vermont 37 5.89 +235%
Alaska 61 5.12 +191%
Montana 79 4.48 +155%
New Hampshire 94 4.23 +141%
Maine 81 4.17 +138%
Wyoming 22 3.80 +116%
Massachusetts 522 3.80 +116%
Minnesota 458 3.73 +112%
Oregon 275 3.62 +106%
South Dakota 63 3.39 +93%
Washington 533 3.26 +85%
North Dakota 55 3.22 +83%
Wisconsin 380 3.21 +82%
Idaho 124 3.03 +72%
Utah 267 2.80 +59%
Delaware 41 2.70 +54%
Missouri 366 2.64 +50%
Colorado 339 2.63 +49%
Nebraska 114 2.62 +49%
Iowa 179 2.60 +48%
Virginia 480 2.53 +44%
Kansas 171 2.49 +42%
Michigan 480 2.34 +33%
Connecticut 158 2.33 +33%
Rhode Island 38 2.33 +33%
Oklahoma 199 2.25 +28%
Illinois 566 2.21 +26%
Indiana 351 2.19 +25%
Ohio 564 2.13 +21%
Maryland 250 2.10 +19%
New York 901 2.08 +18%
Kentucky 204 2.03 +16%
Pennsylvania 522 1.97 +12%
California 1,667 1.82 ≈ national
Arkansas 114 1.80 ≈ national
North Carolina 446 1.75 ≈ national
Hawaii 27 1.74 ≈ national
New Mexico 56 1.70 ≈ national
Tennessee 303 1.68 ≈ national
South Carolina 173 1.67 -5%
West Virginia 54 1.65 -6%
Arizona 270 1.65 -6%
Florida 775 1.64 -7%
New Jersey 321 1.59 -9%
Georgia 385 1.52 -14%
Nevada 86 1.51 -14%
Alabama 147 1.34 -23%
Louisiana 126 1.23 -30%
Texas 1,079 1.22 -30%
Mississippi 54 0.950 -46%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Arthur

Arthur is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #87 in 2025 with 3,847 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 551,930 American babies have been named Arthur. Its peak came in 1921, when 10,579 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Arthur stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Arthur?

The median living Arthur is about 63 years old; half are between 39 and 75. An estimated 217 thousand people named Arthur are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Arthur year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 3,847 #87
2024 7 #12,303 3,334 #105
2023 – – 2,832 #130
2022 – – 2,691 #140
2021 – – 2,477 #155
2020 – – 2,338 #163
2019 – – 2,193 #177
2018 – – 1,653 #229
2017 – – 1,514 #245
2016 5 #16,543 1,345 #273
2015 – – 1,247 #292
2014 – – 1,153 #306
2013 – – 1,034 #321
2012 – – 865 #355
2011 – – 893 #339
2010 – – 730 #388
2009 – – 812 #374
2008 – – 862 #363
2007 – – 819 #375
2006 – – 793 #377
2005 – – 830 #356
2004 – – 792 #355
2003 – – 795 #351
2002 – – 844 #326
2001 – – 881 #319
2000 – – 914 #316
1995 – – 1,113 #254
1990 8 #9,315 1,542 #197
1985 17 #4,469 1,716 #158
1980 18 #4,158 1,821 #147
1975 22 #3,166 2,022 #128
1970 30 #2,451 2,981 #111
1965 34 #1,995 3,779 #96
1960 30 #2,103 5,194 #82
1955 34 #1,805 6,570 #56
1950 25 #1,914 7,161 #46
1945 32 #1,421 6,802 #34
1940 39 #1,171 6,510 #33
1935 43 #1,056 6,547 #29
1930 80 #786 8,284 #23
1925 78 #841 9,986 #20
1920 64 #908 10,236 #18
1915 38 #1,096 8,564 #18
1910 14 #1,213 1,942 #17
1905 14 #1,017 1,505 #16
1900 17 #922 1,853 #15
1895 8 #1,206 1,666 #14
1890 8 #1,011 1,610 #14
1885 10 #699 1,516 #15
1880 5 #843 1,599 #14

Famous people named Arthur

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington British Army officer and statesman (1769–1852) 18th century
  2. 2 Arthur Miller Arthur Miller American playwright and essayist (1915–2005) Contemporary
  3. 3 Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle British writer and physician (1859–1930) 19th century
  4. 4 Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer German philosopher (1788–1860) 18th century
  5. 5 Arthur C. Clarke Arthur C. Clarke British science fiction writer (1917–2008) Contemporary
  6. 6 Arthur, Prince of Wales Arthur, Prince of Wales Heir apparent of Henry VII of England (1486–1502) Medieval
  7. 7 Arthur Rimbaud Arthur Rimbaud French poet (1854–1891) 19th century
  8. 8 Arthur Seyss-Inquart Arthur Seyss-Inquart Austrian Nazi politician (1892–1946) 19th century
  9. 9 Arthur Balfour Arthur Balfour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905 1848–1930 · 19th century
  10. 10 Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Polish pianist (1887–1982) 19th century
  11. 11 Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler Hungarian-British author and journalist (1905–1983) Contemporary
  12. 12 Arthur Eddington Arthur Eddington British astrophysicist (1882–1944) 19th century
  13. 13 Arthur de Gobineau Arthur de Gobineau French diplomat and writer (1816–1882) 19th century
  14. 14 Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler Austrian author and dramatist (1862–1931) 19th century
  15. 15 Arthur Nebe Arthur Nebe German SS functionary and Holocaust perpetrator (1894–1945) 19th century
  16. 16 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany Arthur I, Duke of Brittany Duke of Brittany from 1196 to 1203 1187–1203 · Medieval
  17. 17 Arthur Evans Arthur Evans British archaeologist and scholar (1851–1941) 19th century
  18. 18 Arthur Liebehenschel Arthur Liebehenschel SS officer in Nazi Germany (1901–1948) Contemporary
  19. 19 Arthur Compton Arthur Compton American physicist (1892–1962) 19th century
  20. 20 Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger Swiss composer (1892–1955) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Arthur, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Arthur?

The median living Arthur is about 63 years old. Half of all living Arthurs are between 39 and 75 years old.

How many people named Arthur are alive today?

An estimated 217 thousand people named Arthur are alive in the United States, based on 551,930 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Arthur mean?

From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”).

How popular is the name Arthur in 2025?

Arthur ranked #87 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 3,847 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Arthur?

551,930 babies have been named Arthur in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Arthur most popular?

Arthur peaked in 1921, when 10,579 newborns received the name.

Is Arthur a boy or girl name?

Arthur is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Arthur rising or falling?

Arthur is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Arthur become more popular?

Arthur is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 5,459 boys named Arthur in 2030, which would rank around #56. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Arthur?

Well-known people named Arthur include Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (politician), Arthur Miller (writer), Arthur Conan Doyle (writer).

Names like Arthur

Names that sound and feel close to Arthur: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Arthur with similar names → More names starting with A →