Arthur

The linguistic lineage is murky, though most accounts trace it to the Celtic root for bear or the Roman clan name Artorius. Medieval romances kept the sound alive in print for centuries before broad American adoption took off in 1880. The 1881 inauguration of President Chester A. Arthur gave it national momentum, setting up a climb that lasted into the 1920s.

The name reads as a man holding a fountain pen who has strong opinions about tire chains. For decades it sat with union stewards and retirees, keeping the average bearer age near fifty-five. A modern nursery rebound—climbing back to rank eighty-seven in 2025—means an Arthur today is either enrolling in Medicare or dropping wooden blocks from a high chair. The infant cohort has not yet handled paper currency, but the name already expects them to balance a checkbook by hand.