2000
#4,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.89
Rare Last name
Archibald
Derived from the Germanic elements ercan, meaning "genuine" or "precious," and bald, meaning "bold" or "brave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,787 Americans carry the last name Archibald. That puts it at #4,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,021 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Archibald 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 Archibald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,021
Census rank
#4,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,535 bearers of the surname Archibald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Archibald, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Archibald
The surname Archibald is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Gilleasbaig, which means "true leader of men." The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the Highlands of Scotland.
Archibald is a combination of the Gaelic elements "ard," meaning "high" or "elevated," and "bald," meaning "prince" or "leader." This suggests that the name was likely borne by someone of high rank or authority in the early days of Scottish clans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Archibald is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which was a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Archibaldus de Duglas," referring to a member of the powerful Douglas family.
In the 14th century, Archibald Douglas, Lord of Galloway, was a prominent Scottish noble and a supporter of Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where the Scots defeated the English army.
Another notable figure bearing the name Archibald was Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (1629-1685), a Scottish nobleman and soldier who played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which led to the overthrow of King James II of England and the establishment of the constitutional monarchy.
In the 16th century, the name Archibald was also associated with the powerful Clan Macnab, who were based in the Loch Tay area of Perthshire. The clan's ancestral lands included the lands of Bovain and Innis-abhric, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name Archibald.
Other notable individuals with the surname Archibald throughout history include Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929), a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1894 to 1895, and Archibald Peyton Carr (1909-1987), an American military officer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Panama from 1964 to 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Archibald
Among Census respondents with the surname Archibald, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Archibald 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 Archibald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.6% · 6,115
- Black or African American20.1% · 1,718
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 337
- Two or more races3.1% · 264
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Archibald
Archibald 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
#4,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,359
+565 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 28 places
2020
#4,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,535
+176 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 202 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,214 | 7,794 | 2.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,242 | 8,359 | 2.83 | +565 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 28 places |
| 2020 | #4,040 | 8,535 | 2.86 | +176 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 202 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 Archibald 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 | #4,242 | #4,040 | 4.8% |
| Count | 8,359 | 8,535 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.86 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Archibald bearers went from 8,359 to 8,535 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 202 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,242 to #4,040.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Archibald
FAQ
Archibald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Archibald?
Name Census estimates that about 9,787 living Americans carry the surname Archibald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,021 residents.
How common is Archibald?
Archibald ranks #4,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,535 people with the surname Archibald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,787), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Archibald.
Has Archibald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Archibald went from 8,359 recorded bearers to 8,535. That is an increase of 176 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,242 to #4,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Archibald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Archibald, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Archibald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (6,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Archibald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.6%), Black (20.1%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Archibald (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 Archibald mean?
Derived from the Germanic elements ercan, meaning "genuine" or "precious," and bald, meaning "bold" or "brave." 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 Archibald (2.86 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 Americans have the surname Archibald?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.