Occupational surname from Old French archier — bowman. An English longbowman's trade name, in American use as a first name since 2009.
Archer ranks 98th among American boys in 2025, with 3,654 born that year. Its best year was 2025, when 3,654 babies were given the name, ranking 98th. The typical living American called Archer is about 6 years old today. It is relatively most common in Vermont, where it accounts for 0.46% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.