2000
#13,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Arthurs
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Arthur, meaning "noble" or "courageous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,578 Americans carry the last name Arthurs. That puts it at #13,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arthurs surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Arthurs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,954
Census rank
#13,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,248 bearers of the surname Arthurs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthurs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arthurs
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthurs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Arthurs bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Arthurs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 1,756
- Black or African American11.3% · 254
- Two or more races5.0% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arthurs
Arthurs appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,227
+222 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 227 places
2020
#13,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,248
+21 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,830 | 2,005 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,603 | 2,227 | 0.75 | +222 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 227 places |
| 2020 | #13,045 | 2,248 | 0.75 | +21 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 558 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Arthurs surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,603 | #13,045 | 4.1% |
| Count | 2,227 | 2,248 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arthurs bearers went from 2,227 to 2,248 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 558 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,603 to #13,045.
FAQ
Arthurs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arthurs?
Name Census estimates that about 2,578 living Americans carry the surname Arthurs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,954 residents.
How common is Arthurs?
Arthurs ranks #13,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,248 people with the surname Arthurs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arthurs.
Has Arthurs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arthurs went from 2,227 recorded bearers to 2,248. That is an increase of 21 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,603 to #13,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Arthurs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthurs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arthurs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (1,756 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arthurs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Arthurs (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Arthurs mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Arthur, meaning "noble" or "courageous." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Arthurs (0.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Arthurs?
Want to know how many people have the last name Arthurs? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.