Archie is taking the UK by storm, in a manner of speaking. The U.K. Office for National Statistics announced its top ten baby names, and for the first time ever the name Archie cracked the top ten in England and Wales.
The rise in popularity is undoubtedly due to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle choosing the name for their first child Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born in 2019. The name was an unusual choice for a royal baby — neither his first nor middle names have any royal connection, either historical or modern. It’s not completely out of left field though. Archie was 18th in popularity in 2017 and has appeared in the top 50 since 2003.
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Archie isn’t the only royal boy’s name to top the list though. Harry and George, the name Prince William and Kate Middleton chose for their firstborn, are also firmly in the top 10.
The announcement of Archie’s name caused quite a stir back in 2019 due to its lack of royal connection and ordinary nature. Fans of the show Riverdale of course loved it, and there were a few genuinely funny tweets after the name announcement. “Find your royal baby name by combining your favourite US comic strip character, your favourite Star Wars actor, your favourite cake, and the location of your grandmother’s favourite castle,” tweeted writer Robert Hutton.
Archie’s sister Lilibet landed in the 7th place — the four-month-old was named in honor of Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth (whose nickname is Lilibet).
Despite the majority spreading goodwill and humor, Meghan Markle detractor-in-chief Piers Morgan had some negative feedback. Which should surprise no one, really. “So the royal couple, in a striking blow for diversity & feminism, have given their son one of the most popular white middle-class first names, Archie, and a second name, Harrison, that was chosen because it stands for ‘Harry’s son’ (I’m serious..),” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “Hilarious.”
Regardless, we love the name Archie and are glad it’s gaining some ground against the ever-popular Charles, Edwards, and Williams of the world.
See the meaning of our favorite royal baby names from around the world.
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