Given name & surname · also Norman French
Archibald
“one who is bold, brave, and genuine”
Archibald is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “one who is bold, brave, and genuine.”
Original FrenchArchimbaud
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “one who is bold, brave, and genuine.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Norman French.
How it developed
Its Continental Germanic formation brings together ercan (“genuine”) and bald (“bold, brave”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Archibald through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,985
- 3,985 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 184 babies
- 2025
- 184
- #1,145 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +125%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 184 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,145 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 124.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (21). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,437 as a first name in 2020; 8,535 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Archibald’s family of names
In English usage, Archibald has a diminutive in Archie. In English usage, Archibald shares an earlier linguistic root with Archambault. Archibald has a related form in Archi.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Archibald has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.
Frenchwhere Archibald comes from · 7 names
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 20
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Archibald
- Cary GrantBritish-American actor (1904–1986)
- Archibald HillEnglish physiologist and biophysicist (1886-1977)
- A. J. CroninScottish novelist (1896–1981)
- Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of RoseberyBritish Liberal politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1847–1929)
- Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl WavellBritish Army general and Viceroy of India1883–1950
- Archibald MacLeishAmerican poet and Librarian of Congress (1892-1982)
- Archibald LeitchBritish architect (1865–1939)
- Grey OwlCanadian writer and lecturer (1888–1938) who passed as half Indian in the latter years of his life
- Archibald GeikieBritish geologist (1835–1924)
Characters named Archibald: Captain Haddock (The Adventures of Tintin comics by Hergé).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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