Comments for the name Arthur

From the Greek 'Artos' meaning bear. References : Lady Mary Stewart's "Merlin" Series.

Arthur's a strong character name. There are pet forms like 'Art', and 'Artie,' (sounds better for Artemis). Always thought it was cool.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the famous sleuth Sherlock Holmes. [noted -ed]

No one will ever know, but another possible origin of the name is from "Arddu", a title sometimes associated with the Welsh mythological hero Bendigeidfran (Bran the Blessed).

"Arddu", according to one source at least (personally I'm sceptical), roughly translates into something meaning "dark one" (which coincides with the Bran the Blessed title, Bran meaning raven), and is pronounced Ar-thee (strong TH like in Arthur).

Arthur Weasley is a character in the Harry Potter series (and the father of Harry's best friend, Ron).

Also known as Atorius. King Arthur of the legendary story is a famous bearer of this name.

Arthur is an aardvark in a series of children's books and a T.V. show.

Though the first part of the name Arthur shares meaning and linguistic commonality with the Latin word Ursus (Bear) and a superficial resemblance to Artorius (Latin for ploughman) it is surely Celtic. It's purest form would be Eirth Dur. Eirth or Arth does indeed mean bear. Dur or thur as it is sometimes rendered, technically means steel not iron, though "Iron Bear" would be the most esthetically pleasing literal translation to English and has to the modern ear a native American quality. It is possible however that the name Arth Thur (Arthur) is an appellation and not a given name. It must be noted that as a given name it became quite popular among the Celts even during Arthur’s lifetime. The question still stands was Arthur the birth name of the great hero of the age?

I love the name Arthur. It is cool he has a strong and brave namesharer, King Arthur. When I get a boy, perhaps I will call him Arthur.

Arthur is from the Norse meaning 'Eagle of Thor'.

Chester A. Arthur was the 21st President of the United States.

Arthur Dent is the name of the protagonist of Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" series.

Famous bearer is Arthur Balfour, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905.

Famous bearer is Arthur Rimbaud, a French poet.

Arthur the Aardvark has forever ruined my image of the name. I only respect it because it's my father's middle name. Otherwise I would openly mock the name.

Being Arthur myself, I have experienced only positive reactions from people. It has a certain greatness and nobility about it perhaps because of King Arthur. Since my other name is Kgosi, meaning 'king or chief' in Tswana, my friends often refer to me as King Arthur!

Arthur is also used in Germany. Pronounced 'Ar-tur'.

Arthur Spooner, played by Jerry Stiller, is a character on the T.V. show "King of Queens."

Arthur Marx was Harpo of the Marx Brothers.

Arthur Miller was a famous playwright who wrote "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman".

It's a current name in France too (Broceliande, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table are very famous in Brittany). The French pronunciation is AHR-TUYR.
[noted -ed]

A popular name in France, maybe, but as an English name it currently makes me think of old grandads with or without walking sticks. I wouldn't consider it for a child of mine.

Dismissing a name like Arthur because it currently bears associations with an older generation is ridiculous to say the least. That "old man with a walking stick" was a child and a young man once. A few years ago Alfie was considered stodgy and old-fashioned in the UK. Look how popular it is now! Just goes to prove that it really is all a matter of perception and people's perceptions are easily transmuted.

This name makes me think of King Arthur and the name appears strong, heroic and historical, also fantasy like as no one knows whether he existed. It's still unique and a great name apart from when people say 'Ar-fa'!

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Arthur comes from an Indo-European root (*rtko-) that means "bear". (3rd ed., pg. 2122)

In the movie, "Shrek The Third" the next king of Far Far Away is named Arthur, but they call him Artie. He is a lowlife highschooler but proves everyone wrong when he is king. He's cute. :)

Czech and Slovak pronunciation is "AHR-toor".

This name is growing on me. I like the masculine appeal, but not the nickname Art.

I like the name, but not the nickname Art. But the name Arthur sounds very nice for a boy.

Also a very rare girl's name in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Most people don't seem to know this, however.

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Older dictionaries of names give meaning of Arthur as "of noble race" from the Celtic language. Possibly King Arthur never existed but the origin of the legend may have been about one of the Kings of the Arthurs, a forgotten race or tribe.

Gerard Arthur Way is the vocalist in My Chemical Romance.

The legends of King Arthur were probably written about a 5th century Celtic chieftan of the British Isles. So yes, it is likely that he was based off a real person.

You can read more about it here: http://www.arthurian-legend.com/more-about/more-about-arthur-1.php

Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert & Sullivan, is a famous bearer. He wrote the music for The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, and many other famous operettas.

A famous bearer was Arthur Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993), a prominent African American tennis player. During his playing career, he won three Grand Slam titles. He is also remembered for his efforts to further social causes.

I'm an Albanian, and I do believe that the name Arthur is of an Albanian origin.
Ar=gold, thur=knited
Thus we have someone knited in gold. In the early centuries many Albanians must have come to the British isles as part of the Roman army or emigrants.

The Kinks have an album, called "Arthur (or, the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)". It is a concept album, which tells the story of Arthur, the main character in the album.

This was Boo Radley's first name in "To Kill a Mockingbird". He's a recluse, but a nice one.

Arthur Neumann was the father of actor Paul Newman. His parents were Hungarian father Simon Neumann and Polish mother Hanna Kohnowa.

Famous bearer: Arthur Lee of the '60s band Love. They had hits with songs like "She Comes in Colors" and "Alone Again Or."

Variations of this name appear in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (Artur Hawkwing) and Blizzard's WarCraft franchise (Arthas Menethil). Arthas Menethil's mentor was called Uther the Lightbringer.

I like the sound of the name, and the meaning, but I don't think I'd ever name my kid that because it's too well known from King Arthur, and from the children's TV show character.

Author Arthur C. Clarke died on March 19, 2008 (1917-2008). You may want to update the name's entry. [noted -ed]

It's also used in the Netherlands where it's pronounced AHR-tuyr. [noted -ed]

The very cool character known as Fonzie or The Fonz, on the 1980s show Happy Days, had the full name Arthur Fonzarelli. He was played by Henry Winkler, and he was quite the ladies man!

This was my grandfather's name, and brings to mind many other Arthurs as well, including King Arthur and Arthur Weasley from Harry Potter. I used to be fairly neutral towards it and mostly considered it an 'old' name, but it's grown on me.

Once, some years ago, while researching my first name in the library of my university I found a possible meaning for Arthur in an old text. Recently I ran into a website that had a similar meaning. If I remember correctly the text said "Someone who is guided by Thor; In Thor's Favor" the website said "A Follower Of Thor". I know not the veracity of this, but in that old text it mentioned similarities between both personages (regrettably I have no recollection of it's title other that it was about Arthurian Legends).

Personally, I like my name, Arturo, which is the Spanish form of Arthur. I had an Uncle that used to call me Artur, and I kind of like that, he used to say that my personality was very much like that personage, kind of a noble fool. That last bit I did not like, but since I kind of understand the compliment. In my mind, I'm kind of shy about my name, I do get a bit embarrassed by the way people react to my name. By the way, I kind of fancy swords.

The German pronunciation is AHR-toor. [noted -ed]

I love the name Arthur but would never name my child this because it is too common. Since this name belongs to King Arthur and heroes from countless stories I always picture somebody that is brave, strong, and heroic.

Arthur Rimbaud, one of the most illustrious French poets with Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire.

Arthur, played by Freddie Highmore, is the main character of "Arthur et les Minimoys" which is a French movie directed by Luc Besson ("Arthur and the Invisibles" in English-speaking countries).

Another theory about the name's origin is that it is linked to Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, near Ursa Major or the Great Bear. Classical Latin Arcturus would have become Art(h)ur when borrowed into Welsh, and its brightness and position in the sky led people to regard it as the "guardian of the bear" (which is the meaning of the name in Ancient Greek) and the "leader" of the other stars in Boötes.

You may take this theory with as many grains of salt as you wish, but it certainly gives this fascinating name yet another layer of meaning. I do like the idea that the "bear man" is from the stars and the Great Bear in the sky.

Arthur is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in Inception who is oh so cute :)

Omg, this name is awesome. I might use it as a middle name however due to the association with the aardvark.

This is one of my favorite boys' names. It's very handsome and mature-sounding. I also love the Arthur books and the TV show based on them.

I really like this name, it too is one of my favourite boys' names. I also like the affiliation with the King Arthur legend, and all of the associated stories. :-)

Arthur Huntingdon is a (rather unsavory) character in Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Arthur Clennam, by contrast, is a completely standup gentleman in Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit.

Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator whose style is both elegant and gritty.

I adore how the name Arthur looks on paper. Pronunciation? Not so much. All elegance, enchantment, stateliness and sophistication is simply sucked away when said, which is a great pity. The spelling is very dignified, though.
I do prefer the Italian Arturo to Arthur, of the same meaning.

"Arthur" is my given name, but I prefer to be known as "Artie" and have been since my birth.

It's elegant, has a majestic sound, and seems like it could fit both a king and a normal young boy. It's a shame the popularity for this name is going down. It's so lovely.

Arthur Davies was the husband of Sylvia Llewelyn, both close friends of J.M. Barrie, writer of Peter Pan. The Davieses' children, George, Jack, Peter, Michael, and Nico, were great inspiration to Barrie for his play, in particular George and Michael. Despite what the movie Finding Neverland would have you believe (what a terrible film), Arthur Davies was quite alive for some years after Barrie became acquainted with his family, but eventually died of cancer of the jaw.

I automatically associate this name with Marc Brown's Arthur books and the TV show based off of them. A wonderful association, I'd say.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), the famous (first) Duke of Wellington. It was largely due to his fame that the name became so popular in the 19th century.

Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd (1920-1999) was an Australian painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer and ceramicist.

This name has grown on me. I think it could become very popular in a few years.

Arthur Miller (1915-2005) was an American playwright. He was best known for "The Crucible", "Death of a Salesman", and "A View from the Bridge".

Bear in mind that the Arthurian romances are pure Medieval fiction. A great deal of effort has been made to make the name fit various British or Latin roots, when in fact the earliest bearers were Anglo-Saxon speakers, and we can trace development of the name through documents, from Arnthor (arn, an erne or eagle + Thor, thunder) to Arthur, in reference to the same man, a monk in the time of Athelred II. Then we have Arthur, another monk during William I, Arthor, a bondsman of Aelfric bishop of (Anglo-Danish) York in 1023. While some early "British" kings bore Germanic names (such as Theodoric son of Theodobald, kings of Gwent and Gywysing—Saxons and other Germans served in the Roman army in Britain) and conversely most "Saxon" kings at first had British names (Caradoc, Ceaulin, Cynric, Pybba, Penda, Cadwalla etc.), "Arthur" turns up late, with the arrival of Danish influence in the Northeast and the introduction of -thor and -thur (the Saxon form) as the second element in the typical dithematic names of the period.

Arthur was the son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was his mother's favourite child. He was the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. His daughter Margaret was the grandmother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden as well as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Arthur (1486-1502) was the oldest son of King Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York. He was suppost to become King but died age 15. His wife Catherine of Aragon married Arthur's younger brother, King Henry VIII of England.

This name is adorable. It's cute on a little boy, and mature on a man. Hopefully it'll become more popular soon!

I can't help but think of Arthur Fonzarelli. Its a very strong name! I think it is better without a nickname in my opinion.