Arthur

Celtic

"bear"

Arthur Origin and Meaning

The name Arthur is a girl's name of Celtic origin meaning "bear".

You might be surprised to see Arthur listed as a feminine name, but our database pulls in every name that appears on every name popularity list from anywhere ever. (Note: Lots of countries don't keep name popularity data, but if they do, we have it). Therefore some parents at some point named their daughters Arthur.

While Arthur appearing as a girl name might sometimes have been down to registrar error, it could equally have been a given to a girl if it was a family name (or surname) that may not have otherwise been passed on. Regardless of the reasons, more than 3000 girls have been registered as Arthur in the US since records began in the late 19th century and at its 1928 peak, it was given to 94 girls, which can't all have been accidental! Besides, if James and Wyatt can be girls' names, why NOT Arthur? The nicknames Art or Artie are certainly gender-neutral after all. In fact, seven girls were called Arthur in the US in a recent year, after than name being exclusively masculine for most of the 90s and 2000s.

Arthur Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 844 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Arthur

• 844 Nameberry 2025

Famous People Named Arthur

• Arthur Miller playwright
• Arthur Ashe tennis great
• Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes author

The name Arthur in Pop Culture

• Arthur Read Anthropomorphic aardvark in children's books and TV show

International Variations of the name Arthur

• Arto Finnish
• Artoush Armenian