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Archibald - Origin and Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Archibald

[ 3 syll. ar-(c)hi-bal(d), arc-hiba-ld ] The boy name Archibald is pronounced as AARCHahBAOLD KEY. Archibald is used predominantly in the English and Scottish languages. It is derived from Germanic origins. The meaning of the name is truly brave. Two-element name derived from the words 'erchan' + 'bald' meaning genuine + bold, brave respectively. Archambault (Old French) is an original form of Archibald. The name was common among the Normans; in the 12th century they introduced it into Scotland, where it became popular. It was often associated with the Campbell and Douglas clans; the former used it as an Anglicization of Gillespie or the Gaelic Gilleasbaig, meaning 'servant of the bishop'. The name was first brought to England in the 7th century by Erkenwald, a member of the East Anglian royal family who became Bishop of London. The name also spread from Scotland to England, especially when James VI of Scotland became the king of England and brought the jester Archie Armstrong with him to London. The name thereafter acquired a comic and aristocratic touch, recently reinforced by the fictional Archie Rice in the John Osborne play The Entertainer (1957).

Archaimbaud (French), Archambault (French), Archibaldo (Spanish), Erkenbald (German), and Erkenwald (German) are variant forms of Archibald. Other variants of Archibald include the short form Arch (English and Scottish), and the pet forms Archie (English and Scottish), Archy (English and Scottish), and Baldie (Scottish).

Archibald is unusual as a baby boy name. Its usage peaked modestly in 1903 with 0.018% of baby boys being given the name Archibald. It was #412 in rank then. The baby name has substantially fallen in popularity since then, and is currently of very light use. Among all boy names in its family, Archibald was nonetheless the most regularly used in 2008.

Details of famous persons named Archibald:
Actor Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach 18 January 1904 - 29 November 1986, Bristol, England.
Military Leader Archibald Wavell, born Archibald Percival Wavell 5 May 1883 - 24 May 1950, Colchester, Essex, England.
Poet Archibald MacLeish, born 7 May 1892 - 20 April 1982, Glencoe, Illinois.

KEY: Pronunciation for Archibald: AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; CH as in "cheese (CH.IY.Z)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; B as in "be (B.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)"


 
Popularity Trend
for Archibald
from 1900 to 2008
Variant Popularity Chart
for Archibald
in 2008
 

Meaning of Archibald Meaning of Arch Meaning of Archie Meaning of Archy Meaning of Baldie Meaning of Erkenwald Meaning of Erkenbald Meaning of Archibaldo Meaning of Archambault Meaning of Archaimbaud