How to say it
ARCH · er
/ˈɑr.tʃɚ/
Masculine
Archer
Bowman
What it means
English occupational surname for an archer or bowman, from the Old French archer. A medieval profession that became a surname that became a first name.
Archer is an English occupational surname for an archer (bowman), from the Old French archer. Archery was central to medieval English warfare — Crécy and Agincourt were won by English longbows — so the surname was common. The jump to first name is modern, accelerating with the 2009 Adam Reed animated series Archer and the broader masculine surname-first wave. It entered the US top 200 in 2018. Single short forms aren't common; most Archers go full.
Popularity over time
peaked at #98 in 2025, currently #98 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
FX's Archer (2009-2023) made the name a recognizable modern American first name, even though Sterling Archer himself is a parody spy.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Sterling Archer Lead character of the FX animated series Archer
- Jeffrey Archer English novelist and Conservative politician, Kane and Abel
Names with the same feeling
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