Macarthur is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic 'Mac Artuir,' which means 'son of Artuir.' The name has been traditionally used as a given name as well. It is composed of two elements: 'mac,' meaning 'son of,' and 'Artuir,' which is an ancient Scottish form of Arthur. The most notable historical figure associated with the name Macarthur is Major General John Joseph Macarthur (1767-1824), a British army officer, farmer, and merchant who played a significant role in the establishment of the Australian wool industry.
Based on these statistics, the name Macarthur experienced varied popularity over time. The peak was reached in 1942 with 142 births, while the lowest point occurred in 1941 with only 5 births. After peaking in the mid-40s, the number of annual births with this name fluctuated considerably but generally declined until around the late 60s to early 70s when it stabilized at around 10-20 births per year. Since then, the popularity of the name Macarthur has remained relatively consistent, with approximately 8-18 births annually up until recent years (2019-2023). In total, over the course of these years, there were 1277 babies named Macarthur.