Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Archie

Traditionally speaking, Archie is the diminutive of Archibald. Archibald is the modern English and Scottish form of an Old High German name Ercanbald, derived from the elements “ercan” meaning “genuine” and “bald” meaning “bold”. In medieval Europe, the name’s meaning was meant to signify the strength and solidity of one’s Christian faith. The name was later altered with the Greek prefix “archos” (αρχος) meaning “master”. The Norman French brought the name to England after the Conquest of 1066 where it proved most popular among the Scots (particularly the clans Campbell and Douglas). One of the most famous name bearers is Archibald Leach, the birth name of actor Cary Grant (1904-1986). Archibald is no longer a fashionable name, but its diminutive Archie is surprisingly popular in England and Scotland today. Archie is also a favorite Down Under in Aussie land. Aside from Archie’s historic connection to Archibald, some people also consider it a diminutive for Archer (a more modern given name).

All About the Baby Name – Archie

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME ARCHIE

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME ARCHIE

Despite Archie’s current popularity in England, Scotland and Australia, it’s not a Top 1000 choice here in the states. It was a Top 100 favorite at the end of the 19th century, however. The name quietly dropped in usage as the decades wore on into the 20th century and 1988 marks the last year Archie made an appearance on America’s Top 1000 list. Less than 100 baby boys received this diminutive moniker in 2012 so it’s hardly on anyone’s radar. In the United States, the name Archie will forever be associated with two key characters from pop-culture: Archie Andrews from the comic book series and Archie Bunker from the top-rated 1970s sitcom “All in the Family”.

Quick Facts

ON ARCHIE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

AHR-chee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Little genuine and bold one; or Little bowman

Characteristics

OF ARCHIE

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Archie

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ARCHIE

Archie is the eponymous star of the Archie comic book series which was created by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana in 1941, and enjoys continued popularity in the present day. The perpetually seventeen-year old red-headed average American teenager, Archie goes about the mundane drama of his everyday life with cheerful abandon. He is the only child in a middle class family in the little town of Riverdale; he goes to high school, plays sports, hangs out with his friends, drives a jalopy, goes to the soda shop and falls for almost every girl he meets – especially Veronica and Betty. Did we say “average American teenager”? Wellll, maybe seventy years ago! Archie is a refreshing reminder of a time before smart phones and smart mouths.

Reggie Mantle is a major character in the Archie comics series, which debuted in 1942. He is the rich boy in town, son of the owner of newspaper, The Riverdale Gazette. Reggie is the all-around popular boy in high school, much to his own satisfaction, and he excels as an athlete, although not always abiding strictly by the rulebook. Reggie is tall, dark and handsome, and he often refers to himself, albeit immodestly, as “Mantle, the Magnificent”. As a bassist in the boys’ band, The Archies, Reggie considers himself quite the star, but is not above hiring groupies to swoon and shout out his name during performances. His love interest is Veronica, for whose affections he competes with Archie. Although they often date, it is clear to us (if not always to Reggie) that Archie is her favorite. Reginald has a heart of gold hidden beneath that egotistic exterior, but we don’t really care. He’s a bad boy, and we like bad boys!

Veronica Lodge is a major character in the Archie comics series, which debuted in 1942. Brunette and beautiful, she competes with the blonde Betty Cooper (her best friend) for the teen-aged affections of Archie Andrews in small town Riverdale. While Betty is sweet and natural, our Veronica is rich, self-centered, snobbish, vain, spoiled, and she will stoop to any trickery to get her “man”. And we love her. The only child of a rich man (“Daddykins”), Veronica is a young lady born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She is a shopaholic, a cheerleader, a horse rider, a figure skater, a scuba diver and a would-be homecoming queen. While Archie is her main squeeze, she also dates Reggie Mantle, which is only natural, as he is the richest boy in town. As for Jughead Jones, she and he do not see eye-to-eye, most likely because he is apt to call her out on her high-stepping airs. All in all, Veronica is an almost too-good-to-be-true-bad girl. If this is the worst Riverdale could produce, all towns in America should be so lucky. At the end of the day, Veronica usually is made to see the error of her ways, and she always tries to make amends – usually by throwing cash around. Hey – whatever works.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ARCHIE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Archie


Popular Songs

ON ARCHIE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Archie


Famous People

NAMED ARCHIE

Archie Shepp (jazz musician)
Archie Karas (famous gambler)
Archie Kao (Asian-American actor)
Archie Moore (boxer)
Archie Thompson (Australian footballer)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ARCHIE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Archie

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ARCHIE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Archie