Boys' name · since 1880
Arthur
548,729 babies named Arthur in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #62 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #87 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 548,729
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
548,729 babies have been named Arthur since 1880, making it today's #87 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Arthur recorded 548,729 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #87 nationally today, ahead of 99.4% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #62 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #87 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 548,729 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Arthur ranks #62 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #87 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 548,729 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #62 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #87 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 548,729
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Arthur's 548,729 recorded births place it above 99.86% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Arthur compares
548,729 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Arthur's all-time total is 1,487x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Arthur | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 548,729 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10,527 | 34 | 22,252 |
Arthur's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Arthur splits its recorded history at 1953: 31% of all births land in the more recent half, 69% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2010 (730 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 10,527 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Arthur popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 10,527
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Arthur popularity over time - girls
3,201 total births recorded since 1880 (Arthur as girls' name)
Arthur by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (97,112 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Arthur's strongest decade.
97,112 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Arthur births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 16,180
1880s
16,180 births
- 1890s 16,349
1890s
16,349 births
- 1900s 15,409
1900s
15,409 births
- 1910s
1910s
67,478 births
- 1920s
1920s
97,112 births
- 1930s
1930s
67,730 births
- 1940s
1940s
73,968 births
- 1950s
1950s
65,716 births
- 1960s
1960s
39,622 births
- 1970s 22,100
1970s
22,100 births
- 1980s 16,794
1980s
16,794 births
- 1990s 11,783
1990s
11,783 births
- 2000s 8,342
2000s
8,342 births
- 2010s 12,627
2010s
12,627 births
- 2020s 17,519
2020s
17,519 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 97,112 births (18% of all-time use).
How Arthur compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Arthur's total volume
Arthur by state
Where Arthur concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 60,412 | 11.0% |
| #2 | California | | 37,526 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 28,601 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 27,466 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 25,740 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Texas | | 24,943 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 20,983 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 20,067 | 3.7% |
60,412 of 548,729 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Arthur appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Arthur? ▼
Where does Arthur sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Arthur most popular? ▼
Where is Arthur most popular? ▼
How long has the name Arthur been used? ▼
What names are similar to Arthur? ▼
What to do with Arthur's data
- Arthur's decade-level peak was the 1920s (97,112 total births); usage has since declined to 17,519 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Arthurs (60,412 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Arthur
Nearby Names Like Arthur
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Arthur
Compare Arthur side by side: Arthur vs Arturo Arthur vs Art Arthur vs Artis
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Arthur
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Arthur: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Arthur draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.