Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. AHR-thər(English) AR-TUYR(French) AR-tuwr(German) AHR-tuyr(Dutch)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos "bear" (Old Welsh arth) combined with *wiros "man" (Old Welsh gur) or *rīxs "king" (Old Welsh ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name Artorius.

Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders. He may or may not have been based on a real person. He first appears in Welsh poems and chronicles (perhaps briefly in the 7th-century poem Y Gododdin and more definitively and extensively in the 9th-century History of the Britons [1]). However, his character was not developed until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth [2]. His tales were later taken up and expanded by French and English writers.

The name came into general use in England in the Middle Ages due to the prevalence of Arthurian romances, and it enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 19th century. Famous bearers include German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), mystery author and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008).

Related Names

VariantsArtur(German) Artur(Swedish)
DiminutivesArt, Artie(English) Tuur(Dutch)
Other Languages & CulturesArtur(Albanian) Artur(Armenian) Artur(Belarusian) Artur(Catalan) Artur(Czech) Artur(Estonian) Artturi, Arto, Arttu(Finnish) Artur(Galician) Artúr(Hungarian) Arturo(Italian) Artūrs(Latvian) Artūras(Lithuanian) Artur(Polish) Artur(Portuguese) Artur(Russian) Artair(Scottish Gaelic) Arturo(Spanish) Artur(Ukrainian)
Surname DescendantsArthur, Arthurson(English) Arthur(French) Arthursson(Swedish)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: November 1
Austria: December 11
France: November 15

Images

Depiction of Arthur receiving Excalibur, by N. C. Wyeth (1922)Depiction of Arthur receiving Excalibur, by N. C. Wyeth (1922)

Categories

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Sources & References

Entry updated December 7, 2022