Arthur: meaning and UK use

What does Arthur mean?

The reference discusses possible Celtic elements and a possible Roman family-name connection. Bear is one proposed element, not a verified complete meaning.

Language or name family covered

Origin uncertain

Meaning or derivation

Meaning unknown

Our browsing group

boy; vintage, classic

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Arthur

Pronunciation and related forms

AR-thuh (British English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Artur, Art, Artie. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Arthur?

In 2025, 3,211 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Arthur, making it the 5th most popular boys’ name. That is down 1 place on 2024, when it ranked 4th. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 37th, so it has climbed 32 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2020, at 3rd. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

5th

2025 registrations

3,211

Best rank in this series

3rd (2020)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Arthur: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	5	3,211
2024	4	3,368
2023	6	3,387
2022	6	3,603
2021	4	3,766
2020	3	4,052
2019	4	4,211
2018	7	3,644
2017	19	2,795
2016	30	2,270
2015	37	1,966
2014	41	1,649
2013	43	1,559
2012	52	1,310
2011	68	961
2010	82	786
2009	93	712
2008	101	608
2007	135	402
2006	120	454
2005	135	375
2004	151	303
2003	168	233
2002	185	191
2001	182	193
2000	201	161
1999	178	193
1998	201	162
1997	221	143
1996	234	129

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 46,797. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Selected hyphenated registrations starting with Arthur in 2025: Arthur-James: 12 (boys). This selection includes up to four matching forms with at least ten registrations, not every compound name.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Arthur

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Felixclassic, vintage · Lucky or successful
• Oscarclassic, vintage · Possibly deer friend
• Reubenclassic, vintage · Behold, a son
• Theodorevintage, classic · Gift of God
• Tobiasclassic, vintage · A form of Tobiah
• Albievintage · A short form of Albert

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Arthur, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.