US Name Trends

Arthur

Unresolved: either Celtic art “bear” or the Roman family name Artorius.

1921peak year
No. 14best rank (1880)
551,930babies since 1880
No. 87rank in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Arthur per year — peak 10,527▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

Arthur appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 91 different years between 1880 and 2025. Its biggest year was 1921, when 10,527 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 19 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1880, at No. 14. In 2025 it ranked No. 87 for boys. All told, 551,930 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other spellings on record: Arther (5,040), Arthor (613) (total births since 1880)

Explore Arthur interactively →

By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s16,180No. 14
1890s16,349No. 14
1900s15,409No. 14
1910s67,478No. 15
1920s97,112No. 18
1930s67,730No. 23
1940s73,968No. 29
1950s65,716No. 44
1960s39,622No. 82
1970s22,100No. 111
1980s16,794No. 147
1990s11,783No. 197
2000s8,342No. 316
2010s12,627No. 177
2020s17,519No. 87

Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.

🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper

Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.