Thirty years of Arthur
Arthur in numbers
Arthur has risen from 129 boys in 1996 to 3,211 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 4,211 in 2019. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2016 and 2019, from 2,270 to 4,211. It ranked 234th in 1996, reached 3rd in 2020 and ranks 5th now. On average it was given to 157 boys a year in the late 1990s, 363 in the 2000s, 2,115 in the 2010s and 3,565 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
What the official statisticians said
“Arthurs have more than doubled since the arrival of Birmingham’s infamous gangster family on TV screens”
ONS, on 2021 births in England and Wales. Read the source
“Arthur surged into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time since the 1920s”
ONS, on 2018 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-5%3,368 to 3,211
- 5 years-21%4,052 to 3,211
- 10 years+63%1,966 to 3,211
- 20 years+756%375 to 3,211
- Since 1996×25129 to 3,211
- Total, 1996 to 202546,797boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 5 · ONS · 3,368 in 2024
Rank 19 · NRS · 145 in 2024
Rank 9 · NISRA · 83 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 3,211 | -5% | 1 in 94 |
| 2024 | 4 | 3,368 | -1% | 1 in 91 |
| 2023 | 6 | 3,387 | -6% | 1 in 89 |
| 2022 | 6 | 3,603 | -4% | 1 in 86 |
| 2021 | 4 | 3,766 | -7% | 1 in 85 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,052 | -4% | 1 in 78 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4,211 | +16% | 1 in 78 |
| 2018 | 7 | 3,644 | +30% | 1 in 93 |
| 2017 | 19 | 2,795 | +23% | 1 in 125 |
| 2016 * | 30 | 2,270 | +15% | 1 in 157 |
| 2015 | 37 | 1,966 | +19% | 1 in 182 |
| 2014 | 41 | 1,649 | +6% | 1 in 216 |
| 2013 | 43 | 1,559 | +19% | 1 in 230 |
| 2012 | 52 | 1,310 | +36% | 1 in 286 |
| 2011 | =68 | 961 | +22% | 1 in 386 |
| 2010 | 82 | 786 | +10% | 1 in 472 |
| 2009 | 93 | 712 | +17% | 1 in 509 |
| 2008 | 101 | 608 | +51% | 1 in 597 |
| 2007 | 135 | 402 | -11% | 1 in 882 |
| 2006 | 120 | 454 | +21% | 1 in 754 |
| 2005 | 135 | 375 | +24% | 1 in 882 |
| 2004 | =151 | 303 | +30% | 1 in 1,084 |
| 2003 | 168 | 233 | +22% | 1 in 1,367 |
| 2002 | =185 | 191 | -1% | 1 in 1,602 |
| 2001 | 182 | 193 | +20% | 1 in 1,578 |
| 2000 | =201 | 161 | -17% | 1 in 1,923 |
| 1999 | 178 | 193 | +19% | 1 in 1,654 |
| 1998 | =201 | 162 | +13% | 1 in 2,012 |
| 1997 | =221 | 143 | +11% | 1 in 2,305 |
| 1996 | =234 | 129 | 1 in 2,585 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Arthur
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Arthur is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Arthur is in our lists: Vintage baby names, Royal baby names.