Art Beyond Arthur
Art, a tiny name with big meaning.
It’s thought of as a way of communicating through artistic expression. A way of expressing feeling, thoughts and emotions shaped by different materials, mediums and techniques.
The name Art is typically derived from the name Arthur, an extremely common name with Welsh and Irish history, meaning “noble, bear, champion”. It’s popularity has been widely influenced by legendary hero King Arthur as well as two legendary High Kings of Ireland.
Art became an individual first name in the 1800’s reaching its peak in 1942 with 118 boys named Art that year. Yet, Art has always been heavily tied to the Celtic name Arthur as well as its diminutives, Arturo, Artie and Artro and the rare choices of Arthemus Arcturus and Artorius.
Arthur held steady in the top 50 from 1900-1952 and today the name ranked at 162 with over 2,000 births last year.
While the name Arthur is definitely a classically noble choice, sometimes we love the nickname but not the traditional full name it is associated with.
Art, beyond Arthur? Yes, please! But how?
Alvart - An unexpected botanical beauty of Armenian origin meaning “red rose”. Red roses symbolize passion of love and sacrifice.
Artemis - The Greek equivalent to Roman Diana, Artemis was the ancient mythology goddess of the wilderness hunt, animals, childbirth and the moon.
Bartlett - This surname is a diminutive of Bartholomew meaning “son of the earth”. Josiah Bartlett was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholomew, Eartha and similar surname Barton all get the nickname Art as well.
Bogart - Classic Hollywood cinema actor Humphrey Bogart stared in the 1943 romantic war movie Casablanca, which nominated him for an Academy Award. Bogart is a Dutch surname meaning “orchard”.
Cartia - Don’t you just love, love?! This Latin originated name stems from the word Caritas, means ‘unconditional love of humankind”. Another “C” inspired art name on our list is Carter.
Garth - Singer Garth Brooks introduced this name to the Country music scene with hits like “The Dance”, “Thunder Rolls”, “Friends in Low Places” and “Callin’ Baton Rouge” in the early 1990s. Did you know Garth is his middle name? His first name is Troyal.
Hartford - This British habitational surname brings to mind the capital of Connecticut and the village of Cheshire, England. You could also try the similar, Hart or Hartley.
Lockhart - The first family with the surname Lockhart hailed from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It was commonly used as a nickname for someone who was brave, hence it’s meaning.
Martin - Martin is equally used as a first name and a surname. Derived from the Latin name Martinus, in which came Mars, the Roman god of war. The female version of this name is Martina. You could also use Martha, however their is no connection between Martin and Martha.
Mozart - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a bit of an artist himself in the music industry. Mozart was a classical pianist and composer creating operas and symphonies that shaped classical music.
Stuart - This surname was also adopted as a given male name, meaning household guardian. Stuart, the French form of Scottish surname Stewart was originally introduced by Maury Stuart (better known as Mary, Queen of Scots or Mary I of Scotland) in the 16th century. Most people commonly associate the name with the 1999 film Stuart Little based off of the 1945 book by E .B. White.
Other “Art” names to consider for your little Picasso include Artie, Earnhardt, Hobart and Lennart.
Can you think of any other full names for Art to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.