2000
#958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.39
Uncommon Last name
Archer
An occupational surname referring to a person who shoots with a bow and arrow or makes bows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,430 Americans carry the last name Archer. That puts it at #1,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Archer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Archer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 8,919
Census rank
#1,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,513 bearers of the surname Archer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Archer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Archer
The surname Archer originated in England during the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word 'arche', meaning 'one who uses a bow and arrow'. The name initially referred to a skilled archer or bowman, employed as a soldier or hunter.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Archer appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the name Archer were listed as landholders or tenants in various counties.
In the 12th century, the name Archer began to appear more frequently in historical records such as the Pipe Rolls, which were annual financial records maintained by the Exchequer. This suggests that by this time, the name had become established as a hereditary surname.
One notable early bearer of the name was Roger le Archer, who was recorded as a landowner in the county of Essex in 1210. Another early example is William Archer, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived during the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307).
The surname Archer is also associated with several place names in England, such as Archer's Court in Hampshire and Archer's Green in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Archer who owned or lived in these locations.
Among the famous individuals with the surname Archer throughout history are:
1. John Archer (c. 1598-1682), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628.
2. Thomas Archer (1668-1743), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including St. John's College in Cambridge.
3. William Archer (1856-1924), a Scottish critic and playwright who played a significant role in introducing the works of Henrik Ibsen to English audiences.
4. Jeffrey Archer (born 1940), a British novelist, former politician, and convicted perjurer, best known for his novels including "Kane and Abel" and "The Prodigal Daughter".
5. Anne Archer (born 1947), an American actress known for her roles in films such as "Fatal Attraction" and "Patriot Games".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Archer
Among Census respondents with the surname Archer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Archer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Archer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 25,598
- Black or African American13.5% · 4,533
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 1,482
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,432
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 282
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 186
Timeline
Historical Census data for Archer
Archer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,949
+1,538 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 11.85
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#1,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,513
-1,436 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 11.21
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #958 | 33,411 | 12.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,000 | 34,949 | 11.85 | +1,538 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #1,027 | 33,513 | 11.21 | -1,436 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 27 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Archer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,000 | #1,027 | -2.7% |
| Count | 34,949 | 33,513 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 11.85 | 11.21 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Archer bearers went from 34,949 to 33,513 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,000 to #1,027.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Archer
FAQ
Archer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Archer?
Name Census estimates that about 38,430 living Americans carry the surname Archer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,919 residents.
How common is Archer?
Archer ranks #1,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,513 people with the surname Archer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Archer.
Has Archer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Archer went from 34,949 recorded bearers to 33,513. That is a decrease of 1,436 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,000 to #1,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Archer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Archer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Archer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (25,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Archer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Archer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Archer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who shoots with a bow and arrow or makes bows. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Archer (11.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Archer?
See how common the surname Archer is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.