Archer
Archer was the 98th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,627 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 191 places. More babies were named Archer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning bowman (surname) · English, French, Latin
Say it AR-cher /ˈɑrtʃər/
- Rank in 2025
- #98 boys, up 62 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,627boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20253,627 babies
- Total since 1880
- 31,803babies recorded
What does the name Archer mean?
Archer is an English occupational surname for a bowman, a soldier or hunter who shot with a bow. The word came into Middle English from Anglo-Norman archier, from a Latin form based on arcus, 'bow', and it replaced the native Old English word for an archer. As a boy's first name Archer is a modern transfer from the surname, used in Australia, Britain and the US.
archier (Old French, “bowman”)arcus (Latin, “bow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Archie.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Archer', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'archer', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Archer (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Archer
The usual nicknames for Archer are Archie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Archer in the last five years, 31 were named Archie, against 83 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archie | Modern | #301 | 4,763 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Archers go by each one.
Archer popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 412 since 2008, 27 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #98 | 3,627 |
| 2020 | #160 | 2,349 |
| 2010 | #551 | 458 |
| 2000 | #3,000 | 29 |
| 1990 | #7,230 | 6 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #2,901 | 11 |
| 1960 | #3,358 | 7 |
| 1950 | #1,941 | 15 |
| 1940 | #2,331 | 10 |
| 1930 | #2,085 | 14 |
| 1920 | #1,459 | 26 |
| 1910 | #1,431 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | #642 | 9 |
How popular is Archer, counting every spelling?
Archer has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #105 for boys in 2025, against #98 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Nicholas/Nicolas and Elliot/Elliott/Eliot move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Archer?
3,627 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Archer (1.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Archer born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Archer.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Archer?
About 30,400 people born in the US named Archer are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Archer a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Archer by state
How common Archer was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (3.1×), North Dakota (3.0×), Montana (2.6×), Idaho (2.4×), Wisconsin (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Archer: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Archer, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Archer · Sibling names for Archer
Questions about the name Archer
What does Archer mean?
Archer means “bowman (surname)” (English, French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Archer?
Archer was the 98th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,627 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 191 places. More babies were named Archer in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Archer a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Archer in the US.
Where is Archer most popular?
In 2021–2025, Archer was most common in South Dakota (5.54 per 1,000 boys), followed by North Dakota and Montana.