Find out how popular the last name Arthurs is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Arthurs.

Arthurs, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Arthurs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arthurs in America

Arthurs is the 13603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arthurs surname appeared 2,227 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Arthurs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arthurs to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Arthurs

The surname Arthurs is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the given name Arthur, which itself traces its roots back to the ancient Britons. The name Arthur is thought to have its origins in the Celtic words 'artos', meaning bear, and 'viros', meaning man, potentially signifying qualities like courage and strength.

The earliest known record of the surname Arthurs can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Artur'. This census, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landholders and their properties across England and parts of Wales. The presence of the name in this document suggests that Arthurs was an established surname by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Arthurs family was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in the southwest of England. Variations in spelling, such as 'Arthuris' and 'Arthurez', were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time. Some early bearers of the name were likely associated with places like Arthurston (now Arthurstoun) in Renfrewshire, Scotland, or Arthur's Stone, a Neolithic chambered tomb in Herefordshire, England.

One notable figure from history bearing the surname Arthurs was John Arthurs (c. 1590-1654), a Welsh clergyman and puritan writer. He served as the rector of Cheddon Fitzpaine in Somerset and published several religious works, including 'The Unmasking of Mental Reservations' in 1630.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Arthurs (1642-1712), a British soldier and member of Parliament. He fought in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, earning recognition for his military service. Sir William represented the borough of Queenborough in the House of Commons from 1701 to 1705.

In the 18th century, Thomas Arthurs (1718-1792) was a successful merchant and landowner in Bristol, England. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures and was influential in local affairs.

Moving into the 19th century, Charles Arthurs (1823-1897) was a noted civil engineer and surveyor. He was responsible for the construction of several major railway lines in England and Wales, including the Mid-Wales Railway.

Lastly, William Arthurs (1860-1943) was a British educator and author. He served as the headmaster of several prestigious schools in England and wrote extensively on topics related to education and child development.

While the surname Arthurs may have originated from humble beginnings, its bearers have left their mark across various fields, including religion, military service, commerce, engineering, and education, contributing to the rich tapestry of history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arthurs

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Arthurs.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Arthurs was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Arthurs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Arthurs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arthurs, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!