The story behind Arthur
From the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Middle Welsh arth (“bear”). Other suggestions include Old Welsh arth (“bear”) and ur (“man”), or a Latinized (Romano-British) name; compare Latin Artorius, itself possibly of Etruscan origin, or more likely Messapic-Illyrian related to Proto-Albanian *artsa (“bear”).
Other language forms and explanations (2)
Dutch entry
Ultimately from Middle French Arthur.
German entry
Borrowed from English in the 18th century.
Pronunciation
General-American: /ˈɑɹθɚ/
Regional pronunciation variants
- Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɑːθə/
- archaic, dialectal: /ˈɑːɹtəɹ/
- Dutch: /ˈɑrtyr/
- Dutch: [ˈɑrtyːr]
- German: /ˈaʁtuːʁ/
Popularity
Arthur ranked #87 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Arthur
Amber
From amber, from Middle English ambre, from Old French ambre, from Latin ambar, from Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”). Borrowed from Hindi अंबर (ambar). Borrowed from…
- Gender
- mixed
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Artur
Borrowed from English Arthur, from the name of the legendary king, from Middle English Arthure, from Medieval Latin Arthurus, probably from Welsh arth, from Proto-Celtic *artos.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Casper
Alternative spelling of Caspar. The slur denoting a white person is an allusion to Casper the Friendly Ghost. The skateboarding term is named after Bobby Boyden, a professional…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Dexter
Unadapted borrowing from English Dexter. Doublet of destro.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Edgar
From Old English Ēadgār, the name of early English kings, from Old English ēad (“rich”) + gār (“spear”). Compare Icelandic Auðgeir. Hairstyle named after Major League Baseball…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Elmer
Medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, from Old English Æþelmǣr, from æþel (“noble”) + mǣre (“famous”). From German Elmer, Elmar. Unadapted borrowing from English Elmer.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Arthur
Abigail
From Hebrew אֲבִיגַיִל (avigáyil, “Abigail”, literally “my Father's joy” or “fountain of joy”). a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Abigail Borrowed from…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Adamu
Borrowed from English Adam.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends U
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Agnes
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ), coming from Ancient Greek ἁγνός (hagnós, “pure, chaste”), Ancient Greek ἁγνεία (hagneía, “purity, chastity”). Doublet of Inez.…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends S
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Arthur
Belle
From French belle (“beauty, beautiful”), from Latin bella. Diminutive of Isabelle and Annabelle.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends E
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Berry
From berry; also a pet form of Beryl, Berenice, or Berinthia.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Beryl
From beryl or an anglicization of Yiddish בערל (berl, literally “little bear”). Borrowed from English Beryl, from beryl.
- Gender
- mixed
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length