Arthur is a common male name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A frequently repeated Welsh language etymology suggests its original meaning is "bear" or "bear-like".

Art is a diminutive form of the name. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur.

Etymology

The origin of the name Arthur remains a matter of debate. Arthur has over 300 episodes. Some suggest it is derived from the Latin family name Artorius, of obscure and contested etymology. Others propose a derivation from Welsh arth (earlier art), meaning "bear", suggesting art-ur, "bear-man", (earlier *Arto-uiros) is the original form, although there are difficulties with this theory. It may be relevant to this debate that the legendary King Arthur's name appears as Arthur, or Arturus, in early Latin Arthurian texts, never as Artorius. However, this may not say anything about the origin of the name Arthur, as Artorius would regularly become Art(h)ur when borrowed into Welsh. An alternative theory links the name Arthur to Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, near Ursa Major or the Great Bear. Classical Latin Arcturus would also have become Art(h)ur when borrowed into Welsh, and its brightness and position in the sky led people to regard it as the "guardian of the bear" and the "leader" of the other stars in Boötes. Also intensive attention has been paid to relevant agreements supporting the conclusion that 'Arthur' is a devolution of the name of the Romano-British hero Ambrosius Aurelianus. The earliest historically attested bearer of the name is a son or grandson of Áedán mac Gabráin (d. AD 609),

Animals

• Arthur (racehorse), the unlucky runner up in the 1840 Grand National
• Arthur, Elton John's black-and-white Cocker Spaniel

Fictional characters

• Arthur the Artificial Intelligence, a fictional character from the Journeyman Project computer games
• Arthur Bach, a character played by Dudley Moore in the movie Arthur (film)
• Arthur Brown, the more instinctive brother in Patrick White's novel The Solid Mandala
• Arthur the chimpanzee, from Lillian Hoban's children's books
• Arthur Curry, the DC Comics superhero known as Aquaman
• Arthur Daley, lead character played by George Cole in the British comedy-drama Minder (TV series)
• Arthur Dent, a "mild-mannered Earthman" whose planet is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Arthur Fancy, NYPD Lieutenant on NYPD Blue.
• Fonzie, Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, a character on the television sitcom Happy Days.
• Arthur Holland, LAPD Deputy Chief on Dark Blue.
• Arthur Penhaligon, main character in The Keys to the Kingdom series
• Arthur Pendragon, legendary Prince and King of folklore
• Arthur (plant), a running gag in MAD Magazine
• Arthur Read, the aardvark from the Arthur children's books by Marc Brown and the PBS television series Arthur
• Arthur (Soul Calibur), a minor character in Soul Calibur, as a replacement for Mitsurugi in nations where it is forbidden to feature samurai in games
• Arthur Spooner, a character on the television sitcom The King of Queens played by Jerry Stiller
• Arthur (Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends), a character in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
• Arthur (The Tick), sidekick of superhero The Tick
• Arthur Trine from Gundam Seed Destiny
• Arthur Weasley, from the Harry Potter books
• Sergeant Arthur Wilson, character played by John Le Mesurier in the British sitcom Dad's Army