McArthur is an unconventional given name of Scottish origin, derived from the surname MacArthur, which means 'son of Arthur'. It was historically used as a Scottish Gaelic personal name but has since gained popularity worldwide, particularly in English-speaking countries.
The name McArthur experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years, with a marked spike during World War II. Between 1942 and 1946, there were peaks of up to 290 births per year, indicating a strong association with that period for some families. However, after the war, the name's popularity declined rapidly, dropping below 50 births per year by 1947 and remaining relatively low until the late 1950s. In recent years, the name has seen a slight resurgence, with around 5-12 births per year since 2006. Overall, there have been a total of 2275 births registered under the name McArthur from 1912 to 2023.