Arthur

Arthur meaning

Arthur is an international boy's name.

Uncertain; usually linked to Welsh arth, "bear"

Also used to mean: strong as a bear, noble

Arthur is the name of the legendary British king of the Round Table, known first from Welsh tales and spread across Europe by Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain in the 1130s. Its origin is not settled. The Online Etymology Dictionary gives the usual explanation from the Welsh word arth, "bear", which shares its ancient root with Latin ursus and Greek arktos, but it also notes the rare Roman family name Artorius as a possible source. Name lists often add "noble", which the dictionaries do not support. Writers Arthur Conan Doyle and Arthur C. Clarke carried the name in modern times.

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), s.v. Arthur · entry Arthur · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Arthur · Online Etymology Dictionary, Arthurian · Britannica, King Arthur

Famous namesakes

• King Arthur, legendary king of Britain
• Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes

Popularity abroad

• #87 United States, boys 2025 (up 18 from 105 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #5 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Arthur · Arturo · Artur

Related names

Also meaning strength

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