Macarthur
Son of the skilled king or champion of the mighty.
Name Census estimates that about 1,032 living Americans carry the first name Macarthur. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Macarthur today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Macarthur births was 1942 (142 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Macarthur. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 332,126 Americans
Peak year
1942
142 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,488
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Macarthur: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Macarthur from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 357 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Macarthur by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Macarthur during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Macarthurs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Macarthur, while South Carolina, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Macarthur
The name Macarthur has its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken in parts of Scotland and Ireland. It is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "Artair," which is the Gaelic form of the name Arthur. This suggests that the original bearers of this name were descendants or followers of someone named Arthur.
In the Scottish Highlands, the name Macarthur was associated with the Clan Arthur, a Highland Scottish clan that traces its roots back to the ancient kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll. The clan's ancestral lands were located in the area around Loch Awe and Loch Etive.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Macarthur can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, an Irish chronicle compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Macarthur who lived in the 14th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Macarthur. One of the most famous was General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), a highly decorated American military officer who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II.
Another noteworthy Macarthur was Sir William Macarthur (1809-1887), an Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist who was instrumental in the development of the Australian wool industry.
In the literary world, John Macarthur (1767-1834) was a Scottish writer and diarist who provided valuable insights into life in rural Scotland during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the realm of sports, Courtney Macarthur (1985-) is a notable Australian water polo player who has represented her country in multiple Olympic Games and world championships.
Finally, Edward Macarthur (1789-1872) was an Australian pastoralist and landowner who played a significant role in the early settlement and development of the colony of New South Wales.
People
Macarthur + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Macarthur as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Macarthur: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Macarthur?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,032 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Macarthur going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 332,126 US residents.
Is Macarthur a common name?
We classify Macarthur as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,285 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Macarthur most popular?
The single biggest year for Macarthur was 1942, when 142 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Macarthur is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Macarthur a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Macarthur in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.