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Arthur vs Harry

Arthur and Harry compared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2025, Arthur was ranked #5 and Harry #19 among boys in England and Wales.

  • New Zealand · Boys

    In 2023, Arthur was ranked #11 and Harry #40 among boys in New Zealand.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys

    In 2024, Arthur was ranked #16 and Harry #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys

    In 2025, Arthur was ranked #19 and Harry #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.

  • Scotland · Boys

    In 2024, Arthur was ranked #24 and Harry #31 among boys in Scotland.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2025, Arthur was ranked #57 and Harry #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • Norway · Boys

    In 2019, Arthur was ranked #102 and Harry #431 among boys in Norway.

Arthur and Harry over time

Republic of Ireland · Boys
#10#30#100#30019652025Arthur #57Harry #251965: Arthur #91, Harry #2501966: Arthur #101, Harry #1991967: Arthur #110, Harry #2651968: Arthur #105, Harry #2221969: Arthur #115, Harry #2461972: Arthur #143, Harry #2541973: Arthur #145, Harry #2901974: Arthur #159, Harry #2511975: Arthur #168, Harry #3211978: Arthur #184, Harry #3261979: Arthur #181, Harry #2281980: Arthur #146, Harry #2641981: Arthur #202, Harry #3221982: Arthur #188, Harry #3301983: Arthur #164, Harry #2821984: Arthur #174, Harry #2501985: Arthur #177, Harry #2181986: Arthur #181, Harry #2171987: Arthur #172, Harry #2721988: Arthur #179, Harry #2151989: Arthur #190, Harry #3071990: Arthur #175, Harry #1931991: Arthur #216, Harry #1861992: Arthur #192, Harry #1581993: Arthur #339, Harry #1601994: Arthur #180, Harry #1141995: Arthur #261, Harry #1371996: Arthur #276, Harry #1401997: Arthur #224, Harry #1051998: Arthur #280, Harry #1001999: Arthur #330, Harry #702000: Arthur #274, Harry #632001: Arthur #191, Harry #562002: Arthur #292, Harry #682003: Arthur #214, Harry #562004: Arthur #214, Harry #562005: Arthur #224, Harry #502006: Arthur #222, Harry #412007: Arthur #220, Harry #312008: Arthur #219, Harry #312009: Arthur #220, Harry #282010: Arthur #178, Harry #202011: Arthur #170, Harry #82012: Arthur #163, Harry #72013: Arthur #135, Harry #92014: Arthur #136, Harry #92015: Arthur #123, Harry #142016: Arthur #106, Harry #112017: Arthur #91, Harry #82018: Arthur #73, Harry #62019: Arthur #80, Harry #122020: Arthur #64, Harry #92021: Arthur #67, Harry #202022: Arthur #68, Harry #182023: Arthur #70, Harry #242024: Arthur #47, Harry #202025: Arthur #57, Harry #25

Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.

Norway · Boys
#100#30019452019Arthur #102Harry #4311945: Arthur #153, Harry #701946: Arthur #122, Harry #691947: Arthur #140, Harry #831948: Arthur #167, Harry #751949: Arthur #207, Harry #701950: Arthur #201, Harry #841951: Arthur #184, Harry #841952: Arthur #187, Harry #891953: Arthur #187, Harry #951954: Arthur #182, Harry #1031955: Arthur #189, Harry #1071956: Arthur #256, Harry #1041957: Arthur #180, Harry #1121958: Arthur #228, Harry #1161959: Arthur #266, Harry #1011960: Arthur #218, Harry #1581961: Arthur #221, Harry #1241962: Arthur #282, Harry #1281963: Arthur #357, Harry #1391964: Arthur #297, Harry #1531965: Arthur #269, Harry #1771966: Arthur #255, Harry #1951967: Arthur #335, Harry #1731968: Arthur #398, Harry #2031969: Arthur #281, Harry #2541970: Arthur #485, Harry #2601971: Arthur #353, Harry #3591972: Arthur #509, Harry #4731974: Arthur #481, Harry #3761975: Arthur #368, Harry #4601978: Arthur #507, Harry #4461980: Arthur #491, Harry #6341982: Arthur #429, Harry #5751986: Arthur #563, Harry #5741989: Arthur #369, Harry #6211990: Arthur #449, Harry #3961991: Arthur #328, Harry #5751995: Arthur #409, Harry #5901996: Arthur #282, Harry #5741997: Arthur #296, Harry #4102017: Arthur #125, Harry #4782019: Arthur #102, Harry #431

Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.

Arthur and Harry over time

Arthur and Harry appear together in 6 published lists, across 168 years of shared records. Harry held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Arthur in 1.

The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Harry reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 6 of those lists, and Arthur in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

How this pair is related

The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.

List by list

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys57 shared years, 1965–2025

    Arthur held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Harry in 35.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #47 in 2024, Harry #6 in 2018.

    The order changed in 1991: Harry moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #175 and #193; by 1991 that had become #216 and #186.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Arthur #57, Harry #25.

  • Norway · Boys42 shared years, 1945–2019

    Arthur held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Harry in 30.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #102 in 2019, Harry #69 in 1946.

    The order changed in 1991: Arthur moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #449 and #396; by 1991 that had become #328 and #575.

    Most recent shared year, 2019: Arthur #102, Harry #431.

  • England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025

    Arthur held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Harry in 23.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #3 in 2020, Harry #1 in 2011.

    The order changed in 2019: Arthur moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #7 and #3; by 2019 that had become #4 and #5.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Arthur #5, Harry #19.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 2004–2024

    Arthur held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Harry in 19.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #14 in 2023, Harry #4 in 2012.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Arthur #16, Harry #13.

  • New Zealand · Boys10 shared years, 2014–2023

    Arthur held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Harry in 5.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #11 in 2023, Harry #22 in 2018.

    The order changed in 2019: Arthur moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #64 and #22; by 2019 that had become #35 and #38.

    Most recent shared year, 2023: Arthur #11, Harry #40.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys9 shared years, 2017–2025

    Arthur held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Harry in 4.

    Highest recorded here: Arthur #18 in 2024, Harry #15 in 2018.

    The order changed in 2021: Arthur moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #44 and #30; by 2021 that had become #27 and #33.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Arthur #19, Harry #39.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Arthur

Pairs where Arthur shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Harry

Pairs where Harry shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — one moved ahead of the other.

All one moved ahead of the other →

Other pairs from England and Wales lists

Pairs measured inside England and Wales's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

England and Wales overview →

Other pairs ranked together in the 2020s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2020 and 2029.

The 2020s across all registrars →

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Arthur, Harry
FieldArthurHarry
Record typeEditorially researched profileEditorially researched profile
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningMeaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence.A diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation.
OriginDisputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly RomanEnglish, medieval form/diminutive of Henry
Pronunciation/ˈɑɹθər//ˈhæri/
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesArt, ArtieNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageNew South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New ZealandNew South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand
Most recent popularity observationEngland and Wales · Boys #5 (2025)England and Wales · Boys #19 (2025)
Data Confidencehighmedium

What the data shows

  • Arthur is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Celtic (Brittonic), possibly Roman origin, while Harry is recorded with a English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry origin.
  • Arthur and Harry both have 2 syllables.
  • Arthur's recorded meaning differs from Harry's — see the table above for each.
  • Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
  • The available evidence gives Arthur a "high" Data Confidence level and Harry a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Arthur

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #153 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1996–2025

    Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in England and Wales, in 2020 (recorded 1996–2025).

    England and Wales · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #5 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Harry

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #70 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1996–2025

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2025).

    England and Wales · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys