The surname Arthur
A patronymic surname, carried by 28,102 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈɑɹθɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex A636 Also a first name
Origin
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”).
Arthur is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 28,102 people named Arthur in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 10,987 Americans. That is up 2.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 27,383.
Who is named Arthur
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
77% of people named Arthur identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as American Indian and Alaska Native.
- White (not Hispanic) 77%
- Black (not Hispanic) 16%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 2.4%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
- Two or more races 1.8%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Arthur has the Soundex code A636, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A636.
Questions
- Where does the surname Arthur come from?
- 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…
- How common is the surname Arthur?
- 28,102 people in the United States had the surname Arthur in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,987 Americans. It ranked 1,247th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Arthur?
- In the 2010 Census, 77% of people named Arthur identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
- How do you pronounce Arthur?
- Arthur is /ˈɑɹθɚ/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Arthur?
- Arthur is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Arthur getting more or less common?
- More common. 27,383 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 28,102 in 2010, up 2.6%.
- Is Arthur also a first name?
- Yes. Arthur is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.