Archie
Archie was the 301st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,129 babies. Its best year was 1890, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,129). Over the last ten years it has moved up 944 places. More babies were named Archie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Archibald ('genuine, bold') · Germanic, Scottish
Say it AR-chee /ˈɑrtʃi/
- Rank in 2025
- #301 boys, up 167 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,129boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,129 babies
- Total since 1880
- 57,535babies recorded
What does the name Archie mean?
Archie is a pet form of Archibald, a Germanic name. DMNES derives it from Old High German erchan, "genuine, true" or "chief", and bald, "bold", and notes it was common among Scottish noble families such as the Douglases and Campbells. Bardsley quotes Charlotte Yonge on how Archie and Baldie became familiar Scottish forms. Archie is now often given as a full name.
erchan (Old High German, “genuine, true; chief”)bald (Old High German, “bold”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Archibald, Archer, Baldie.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean brave.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Archie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Archibald', DMNES, Durham University
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Archibald', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Archie popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,291 since 1887, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #301 | 1,129 |
| 2020 | #468 | 635 |
| 2010 | #1,834 | 79 |
| 2000 | #2,017 | 50 |
| 1990 | #1,013 | 109 |
| 1980 | #651 | 177 |
| 1970 | #447 | 337 |
| 1960 | #375 | 446 |
| 1950 | #286 | 553 |
| 1940 | #213 | 602 |
| 1930 | #179 | 768 |
| 1920 | #145 | 1,037 |
| 1910 | #119 | 265 |
| 1900 | #109 | 216 |
| 1890 | #79 | 221 |
| 1880 | #83 | 183 |
How popular is Archie, counting every spelling?
Archie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #311 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #301 for Archie on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,135 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archie | 1,129 | #301 | 4,763 |
| Archy | 6 | #10,792 | 25 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Archie?
1,129 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Archie (0.31 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Archie 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Archie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Archie?
About 21,600 people born in the US named Archie are alive today, with a median age of 54; half are between 7 and 71. That makes Archie mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Archie by state
How common Archie was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (3.5×), Utah (2.7×), Minnesota (2.5×), Iowa (2.4×), Nebraska (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, New Jersey, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Archie: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Archie, they share its era and feel.
Archie is also a nickname for Archer.
Questions about the name Archie
What does Archie mean?
Archie means “pet form of Archibald ('genuine, bold')” (Germanic, Scottish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Archie?
Archie was the 301st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,129 babies. Its best year was 1890, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,129). Over the last ten years it has moved up 944 places. More babies were named Archie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Archie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Archie in the US.
Where is Archie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Archie was most common in North Dakota (1.93 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Minnesota.