# Archibald (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/archibald/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “pure”, “holy”, “genuine”, “precious”, “strong”, “bold” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑː(ɹ).t͡ʃɪ.bɔːld/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Archie, Arch |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 3,985 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,985 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,051, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Anglo-Norman Arcebald, Arcenbald or Ercenbald, from Old French Archaunbault, from Proto-West Germanic *Erknabalþ, from *erkn (“pure, holy, genuine, precious”) + *balþ (“strong, bold”). Doublet of Archambault. Compare Latin Archibaldus.

## What it means

Archibald is grouped under brave, holy, pure and strong.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 5,968 |
| 2012 | 34 | 3,237 |
| 2013 | 25 | 3,974 |
| 2014 | 46 | 2,626 |
| 2015 | 50 | 2,490 |
| 2016 | 51 | 2,479 |
| 2017 | 49 | 2,570 |
| 2018 | 70 | 2,050 |
| 2019 | 71 | 2,045 |
| 2020 | 96 | 1,657 |
| 2021 | 100 | 1,658 |
| 2022 | 148 | 1,289 |
| 2023 | 149 | 1,289 |
| 2024 | 176 | 1,176 |
| 2025 | 184 | 1,145 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 53 | 631 |
| 2012 | 80 | 478 |
| 2013 | 87 | 451 |
| 2014 | 59 | 597 |
| 2015 | 88 | 461 |
| 2016 | 85 | 477 |
| 2017 | 113 | 392 |
| 2018 | 102 | 414 |
| 2019 | 75 | 518 |
| 2020 | 82 | 475 |
| 2021 | 86 | 471 |
| 2022 | 93 | 435 |
| 2023 | 86 | 464 |
| 2024 | 115 | 374 |
| 2025 | 123 | 346 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Arxibald
- Chinese: 阿奇博爾德 /阿奇博尔德
- French: Archambault, Archenbaud, Archibald, Archaimbaud
- German: Archibald
- Greek: Αρχίβαλδος
- Italian: Arcibaldo, Arcimboldo, Archimboldo, Arcimbaldo
- Latin: Archibaldus
- Portuguese: Arquibaldo, Arquimbaldo
- Spanish: Archibaldo

## People named Archibald

- Archibald Hill, English physiologist and biophysicist (1886-1977)
- John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist (1911-2008)
- 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)
- Archibald Geikie, British geologist (1835–1924)
- Archibald Sayce, British Assyriologist and linguist (1845–1933)
- Archibald Reiss, forensic scientist (1875-1929)
- Archibald James Murray, British army officer, 1860 –1945 (1860–1945)
- Archibald MacKinnon, Canadian rower
- Archibald Scott Couper, British chemist (1831–1892)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.