Authur
Masculine
Authur is Arthur with two letters swapped. The r and the u in the middle have changed places, which is the commonest kind of slip a hand makes when writing quickly, and in this case it was made often enough and recorded often enough that the result became a name in its own right.
How old is the name Authur?
Authur was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Authur alive today was born around 1942, making them about 83 years old. About 900 people named Authur are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Authur most popular?
Authur peaked in 1880, reaching #600 nationally. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Arthur to Authur
The story of Authur
There are two respectable explanations for Arthur and no way to choose between them. One takes it from a Roman family name, which would make it a Latin import surviving in Britain after the empire withdrew, and the timing works. The other takes it from a Celtic word for a bear, which fits the Welsh material and the way Welsh names are built. Both are defensible, both have distinguished supporters, and the evidence has not moved in a century. A page that picks one and states it flatly is choosing rather than reporting, which is a small dishonesty repeated on a very large number of name pages.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name behind this one cannot be traced with confidence to any source, so nothing can be inherited. The two leading candidates are set out below and neither can be established.
How the name formed
- Arthur
- Authur
Pronouncing Authur
AR-thur
Two syllables with the stress at the front, said exactly as the standard spelling is. The transposition is invisible in speech and obvious on paper.
Nicknames for Authur
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
- 195156 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #600reached in 1880
- Change vs 1995
- −12.5%7 in 2006, from 8
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.
Authurs among us
people named Authur are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Authur sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The name underneath is one of the oldest and best known in Britain.
- The short forms are ready-made and do not depend on the spelling.
- It is far rarer than the standard form while sounding identical.
- It will be read as a misspelling of a very familiar name, always.
- No meaning can be given honestly, because the source name has none that is settled.
- The generation that used it is now elderly.
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Authur
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Authurs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Authur are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Authur in 2025?
- Authur is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Authur with classmates?
- Authur will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More A names
The most-given names starting with A, all years combined.
Anthony#46 · Andrew#73 · Alexander#30 · Aaron#80 · Adam#101 · Arthur#87 · Albert#614 · Austin#113
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Authur? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Authur and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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