Head to head · Boys' names
Arturo vs Danny
#627 vs #628 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Arturo is a whisker ahead (#627 vs #628 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Arturo leads 3 measures of 6; Danny leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1890s: Arturo #1002, Danny — — Arturo higher
- 1900s: Arturo #980, Danny #1002 — Arturo higher
- 1910s: Arturo #900, Danny #966 — Arturo higher
- 1920s: Arturo #526, Danny #497 — Danny higher
- 1930s: Arturo #477, Danny #206 — Danny higher
- 1940s: Arturo #407, Danny #74 — Danny higher
- 1950s: Arturo #353, Danny #43 — Danny higher
- 1960s: Arturo #359, Danny #60 — Danny higher
- 1970s: Arturo #304, Danny #97 — Danny higher
- 1980s: Arturo #278, Danny #140 — Danny higher
- 1990s: Arturo #274, Danny #225 — Danny higher
- 2000s: Arturo #316, Danny #302 — Danny higher
- 2010s: Arturo #517, Danny #434 — Danny higher
- 2020s: Arturo #605, Danny #599 — Danny higher
Danny stood higher in 11 of 14 decades; Danny has held the lead since the 1920s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Arturo | Danny |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | #1002 | — |
| 1900s | #980 | #1002 |
| 1910s | #900 | #966 |
| 1920s | #526 | #497 |
| 1930s | #477 | #206 |
| 1940s | #407 | #74 |
| 1950s | #353 | #43 |
| 1960s | #359 | #60 |
| 1970s | #304 | #97 |
| 1980s | #278 | #140 |
| 1990s | #274 | #225 |
| 2000s | #316 | #302 |
| 2010s | #517 | #434 |
| 2020s | #605 | #599 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Arturo
Bear, or a Roman family name of unclear sense
Two serious readings compete behind Arthur, and neither has won. One takes it from the Roman family name Artorius, whose own meaning is lost. The other takes it from a Celtic root for 'bear' — Welsh arth — possibly joined to a word for 'king' or 'man'. A separate Greek name, Arktouros, 'guardian of the bear', gave the star Arcturus, and the two have shadowed each other for centuries without being the same word.
Artorius / Arthur → Arthur (Old French romance) → Artù / Artur → Arturo
How it traveled
The name enters the record in early Welsh and Latin writing about a British war leader, and the ninth-century Historia Brittonum names him. Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written in the twelfth century, turned that figure into a king, and French romance carried the story to every court in Europe within a generation or two.
Danny
God is my judge
The meaning belongs to Daniel, from the Hebrew Daniyyel: dan (judge) with El (God). Danny inherits it whole.
Daniyyel → Daniēl → Daniel → Danny
How it traveled
The root is the Hebrew name Daniyyel, borne by the prophet of the Book of Daniel, and carried into Greek and Latin as Daniēl by the translators and scribes of the Bible. Daniel spread through medieval Christian Europe and became one of the most durable men's names in English, Irish, Spanish, Slavic and Scandinavian use alike.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Arturo
ar-TOO-ro
Stress on the middle syllable in Spanish, Italian and English alike. The Spanish r is a single tap, and the final vowel is a clean 'oh' rather than a drawl; American speakers who soften both are still saying the name recognizably.
- Turo — The usual clipped form in Spanish-speaking families; informal, rarely used on paper.
- Arturito — Standard Spanish diminutive, used for children and affectionately for adults within the family.
- Art — The English-language shortening, borrowed from Arthur; also stands alone as a given name in older American generations.
- Arty — Informal and mostly a childhood form; spelled Artie by some families.
Danny
DAN-ee
Stress on the first syllable, rhyming with "canny". One pronunciation everywhere in English, with no regional variants to explain.
- Dan — The oldest short form, and a standalone given name in its own right; often the version a Danny uses at work.
- Dani — Common in Spanish and Hebrew-speaking families; also serves as the short form of Daniela and Danielle.
- Danno — Informal, affectionate, mostly used by friends and family rather than on paper.
- D — Initial-only nickname, typical among teammates and schoolfriends.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Arturo if you want…
- a name with more sound in itArturo runs 3 syllables, Danny 2
Choose Danny if you want…
- a name holding steadyDanny is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesDanny is 2 syllables to Arturo's 3
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Arturo
Strengths
- Works unchanged in Spanish, Italian and English, with Arthur, Artur and Artair as recognized counterparts elsewhere.
- Spelled the way it sounds in both Spanish and English — no silent letters, no competing variants to correct.
- On US records for well over a century without ever disappearing, so it reads as established rather than new.
To consider
- English speakers who know Arthur may reach for it by reflex, and a child called Arturo can spend some years correcting teachers who default to the English form or clip straight to Art.
- The double r-and-o ending invites Artur, Arthuro and Aturo on forms — usually fixed in one breath, but it will come up.
- Recognizable everywhere, yet a child is unlikely to meet another one in a classroom. That suits some families and not others; it is worth deciding which you are.
Danny
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds and known on sight — almost no American will ask you to repeat or spell it.
- Descends from Daniel, a name in continuous documented use since the Hebrew Bible, so there is a formal long form available if you ever want one.
- Established short forms already exist: Dan, Dani, Danno.
To consider
- The typical living Danny is closer to retirement than to school, so the name reads mid-century to many ears. That also means a child named Danny now is unlikely to share it with a classmate.
- It is a diminutive by origin. People will often assume it is short for Daniel and default to that on forms and rosters — worth deciding early whether Danny is the legal name or the nickname.
- Dani and Danny are also the everyday short forms of Danielle and Daniela, so the spoken name is shared with girls and women, even though the spelling Danny is recorded almost entirely for boys in the US.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Arturo and Danny in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Arturo and Danny?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Arturo and Danny — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Arturo or Danny — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Arturo or Danny?
- Arturo, in 2025: Arturo ranked #627 with 446 babies; Danny ranked #628 with 445 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Arturo or Danny?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Arturo moved down 44 places; Danny moved down 61 places.
- Which is the older name, Arturo or Danny?
- Arturo entered the US charts in 1898; Danny entered the US charts in 1900. On the American record, Arturo is the older name.
- How many people are named Arturo and Danny?
- About 49,500 people named Arturo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 217,000 people named Danny are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Arturos or Dannys in the classroom?
- Arturo will almost certainly be the only one in school. Danny will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Arturo, Danny and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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