Art
Masculine · “bear”
Art is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 6,141 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
Art is two names at once: the English short form of Arthur, and an Irish name in its own right that means a bear. The Irish one is older and less well known.
How old is the name Art?
Art was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Art alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 3,400 people named Art are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Art most popular?
Art peaked in 1881, reaching #416 nationally. Today it ranks #3379, 2,963 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Where it comes from
From art to Art
The story of Art
Art was a genuine early Irish name — Art mac Cuinn is a legendary high king — and it belongs to a small group of Irish names taken directly from animals. Separately, English speakers have clipped Arthur to Art since the Middle Ages, and Art and Artie were widely used in America in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is registered under its own name in American records from the 1880s onward.
Meaningscholars disagree
bear
Old Irish art is a bear and was a name in its own right, borne by several early Irish kings. English Art is a clipping of Arthur, whose own origin is disputed — a Roman family name, a Celtic word for a bear, and other readings have all been proposed. The two lines may or may not be related at their roots.
How the name formed
- art
- Art
Related forms: Art · Arthur
Pronouncing Art
ART
One syllable. There is no variation.
Nicknames for Art
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1960183 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #416reached in 1881
- Change vs 2022
- +6.3%34 in 2025, from 32
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Art in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Art in Irish — same name
- Arthur in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Arts among us
people named Art are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 50,238 born in 2025 was named Art
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Art sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Art is headed
Art should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Art beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Art in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A genuine early Irish name with a documented meaning, quite apart from being short for Arthur.
- Three letters and one syllable — as short as a name gets.
- Arthur stands behind it as a fuller formal option.
- It is an ordinary English noun, and the jokes about it will be constant.
- It reads as a nickname to most Americans, which may matter on a formal document.
- It is strongly associated with a particular era of American life.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Art to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Art
Masculine · #3379 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Arts are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,400 people named Art are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Art in 2025?
- Art ranks #3379 among US boy names in 2025, with 34 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Art?
- About 1 in every 50,238 US boys born in 2025 was named Art — 34 in all.
- Will my child share the name Art with classmates?
- Art will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Art
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Sampson#3379 · Kiernan#3379 · Benyamin#3379 · Quamir#3379 · Madhav#3379 · Tuff#3379 · Mika#3379 · Hubert#3379
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Art? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Art and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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