A famous name whose meaning is genuinely unknown Origin disputed
The honest answer: nobody is sure. Arthur's meaning is one of the real unknowns of name study. The most-loved reading links it to a Celtic root arto-, “bear” (Welsh arth), perhaps joined to a word for “man” or “king,” for something like “bear-man” or “bear-king.”12
But modern scholarship more often points to the Roman family name Artorius, whose own origin is itself obscure, and there is a recognised sound-change objection to the simple “bear-man” reading. So we give the satisfying “bear” association first and label the deeper origin honestly disputed.2
Arthur: usually said to be from Welsh arth, “bear,” though the Roman Artorius is the standing rival.
summarising the modern references (Etymonline; Oxford Dictionary of First Names)
The legend grows
From a battle-list to the Round Table
9th century
Arthur first appears as a datable figure in the Historia Brittonum, which lists twelve battles he is said to have won.3
c. 1138
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae turns him into a king and adds Merlin, Guinevere, Tintagel and Avalon; the legend explodes across Europe.3
12th century
Chrétien de Troyes and the continental romancers add Lancelot and the quest for the Holy Grail.
1485
Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d’Arthur is printed by Caxton, fixing the English version of the story.
1859 → 1885
Tennyson's Idylls of the King drives a Victorian revival, and the name climbs with it.3
Popularity over time
A grand old name, dipped and rising
1921 · 10,57910,5790
18802025
U.S. · 1880–2025 · counts of people issued a Social Security number, not a full count of births. Live series on the published page.
Arthur was common in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, faded through the mid-twentieth, and has been climbing again lately as parents return to dignified vintage names. The Arthurian legend keeps it familiar even when fashion moves on.
Usage & existence
How often is Arthur recorded?
551,930
recorded use · U.S. since 1880
Rising
active & growing
~100% boys
gender usage
1880
first appears in the data
Recorded use, not living people. These are recorded uses of Arthur in US data since 1880, not living people, and it is given almost entirely to boys. The dataset begins in 1880; the name itself is far older, reaching back through medieval romance to a possibly-historical figure of around the sixth century, so the record is bounded by the data, not by history. The living figure above is an estimate built from these records and official life tables: how we estimate it.
Sources & how we verify ✓ 2+ independent · verified Jun 2026 · data refreshed Jun 2026
Meaning & etymology
Etymonline, “Arthur”, “usually said to be from Welsh arth ‘bear,’” while noting the rival links to Artorius and Arcturus.
Oxford Dictionary of First Names (Hanks et al.; cited, not reproduced) treats the origin as uncertain, weighing the Celtic arth “bear” against the Roman family name Artorius.
Popularity data
US SSA · England & Wales ONS, SSN-issuance / registration counts in the dataset, not total births.
Meaning is labelled Origin disputed because it genuinely is: modern references state the meaning is unknown, weighing a Celtic “bear” root against the Roman Artorius, with a recognised sound-change objection to the simple “bear-man” reading. We give the satisfying “bear” association first and label the rest honestly. Legend and bearer facts are referenced, not reproduced.