Archibald

“Precious and strong” — Germanic via Old French origin

Boy's name · #1145 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Archibald was #279 in 1890, slipped to #10668 by 2001, and has climbed back to #1145 today. About 4,000 boys have carried it since 1880. It is also an American family name — about 8,400 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census. Archibald's short forms are Archie and Arch. About 960 boys a year are given Archie as their full name.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,200 boys in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 2,300 boys in Belgium (2025) · about 1 in 2,800 boys in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 17 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Archibalds

Archibald Hill — English physiologist and biophysicist (1886-1977)
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery — British Liberal politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1847–1929)
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell — British Army general and Viceroy of India
Archibald MacLeish — American poet and Librarian of Congress (1892-1982)
Archibald Leitch — British architect (1865–1939)

In stories & tradition

Archibald (Captain Haddock) — The Adventures of Tintin · The Seven Crystal Balls
Archibald (Archie Andrews) — The Archie Show · Riverdale
Archibald Asparagus — VeggieTales · Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie

What Archibalds become

Among 765 notable people named Archibald:

Military figures appear 5.72× more often than among typical names — e.g. Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, British Army general and Viceroy of India.

Similar names: Archie · Ollie · Archer · Lucius · Harlow · Oswald

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service