The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s name shortly after they introduced him to the Queen and Prince Philip in 2019. It was surprising because the British media and the British “punters” had a list of baby names and “Archie” didn’t appear on any of them. It was said that Harry and Meghan decided on Archie as a name because of someone Harry knew, like the name was an homage to someone Harry respected. But as it turns out, Harry and Meghan weren’t even sure that the baby’s first name should be Archie. He was almost Harrison!!
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were playing the name game ahead of Archie Harrison’s arrival. While attending a reading session for children at the Invictus Games The Hague over the weekend, Meghan got chatting with a parent who had brought a son named Harrison to the event.
Sherry McBain, a nursing officer in the RAF competing in the Invictus Games, told PA her wife Mandy spoke with Meghan at the event when they realized the commonality in their children’s names.
“[Meghan] was like ‘Harrison, that’s Archie’s middle name’, and Mandy was like ‘Yeah, I know,’ ” said McBain. “They were just having a chat because Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name.”
Meghan, 40, and Prince Harry, 37, welcomed Archie in May 2019, nearly one year following their royal wedding. The name choice was somewhat surprising, as British oddsmakers’ top picks for potential names included more traditional monikers, like Arthur, James, Philip and Albert.
Archie is a shortened version of the name Archibald, meaning genuine and bold or brave. Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll of Scotland was also an ancestor of Princess Diana’s. Using the nickname as a first name gives it a more casual, American vibe — while the baby’s middle name, Harrison, originated in the Middle Ages as a patronymic meaning “son of Henry” or “son of Harry.”
Now I’m sort of mad that Harrison isn’t his first name!! That would have been a great first name, although… I do sort of understand why they used it as a middle name. At the end of the day, Archie sort of fits for that cute little carrot-top boy. And “Harrison” might have been confusing, it would be like “Harry Junior” but not. I think it should also be noted that Harry and Meghan likely chose “Archie Harrison” to get out of the royal-baby-naming rut. How many babies need to be named Philip, Louis, Arthur, etc?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Baby BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE EXCEPT IN NETHERLANDS ** Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seen holding their baby son Archie, during the visit to Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Archie Harrison = Archie, Harry’s son. Love it! (And no annoying “Jr.” business for the little guy.)
I like Archie Harrison better but that’s probably bc that’s the name they went with and you just get used to something after a while. Harrison Archie would have been cute too.
I only wish they’d gone with Harrison has the first name because Archie seems like a permanent little kid name, if that makes sense. some names seem too cutesy for a whole lifespan.
it could also just be my unfamiliarity with Archie as a name though – I’ve known Harrisons.
Has Harry been called anything besides Harry? My dad has been a Bobby his whole life and my older sister was given the first name Bobby (no JR) – funny side note, she spends most of her life correcting “y” not “ie”.
Same! They could have still used Archie as his primary name among the family, that’s what happened to me. My first name is an homage to an older family member and my middle name is the one my mother actually wanted so that’s what I’m called by my family. There was a period when it was a pain but now that I’m older I actually really like having the distinction between who is using what name. Really close friends will also use my middle name.
@Maggie Harry’s real name is Henry
I like the name Archie. It fits him so much better than anything I can think of rn. At the time I found it weird but we were all so conditioned to expect them to give him a royal name. Archie Harrison just flows better than Harrison Archie.
Even if they did stray from the tradition, I always thought they would go for something like Luke or Alex or Nathan or something. Archie does fit him and maybe when he’s older he can go by Harrison as a stage name like his mother did with her middle name.
I’m still getting used to Lilibet and I don’t think I ever will get warm up to the name but I LOVE LOVE the name Lili. Idk why they didn’t just name her Lili as her birth name. I know she’ll go by Lili but why didn’t they just give her that name from the beginning? It sounds so much nicer and sweeter. Anyway, the Sussex kids are so cute
Harrison is such a perfect middle name, (for harry’s son) considering they left the royal family and don’t have that list of relatives’ as the middle names. I don’t really understand why they chose Archie, Have they ever spoken about that? My grandfather’s middle name was Harris so I actually considered Harrison for my sons middle name too (10 years ago) it’s also a trendy name for Americans, I think a couple celebs have used it but I forgot who
I agree that it’s perfect. And I’m not sure if it was Diana or Charles that insisted on the “Harry-not-Henry”, but I love that it’s a nod to HIS non-royal name.
He may have been born Prince Henry, son of Charles, the Prince of Wales, but he’s really just Harry.
^^ I remember when Harry was born. It was Diana who insisted he would always be called Harry. I don’t think she truly liked the traditional name, Henry. As I recall, Diana was said to have also nixed the overly formal royal family names: Arthur and Albert as first names for her sons.
William is named for the Queen’s first cousin, William of Gloucester, who died in 1972 in a light aircraft crash. Prince Charles looked up to that William. BTW, @Paloma, if you read @Kaiser’s intro, she states that Archie was reportedly named for a friend of Harry’s. I hadn’t heard that before, so it’s interesting.
At the time of Archie’s birth, Sussex fans spoke about how Meg once had a cat named Archie. Also, except for one difference in letters, ‘Archie’ is an anagram of Meg’s first name, ‘Rachel.’
No, @Aftershocks: its gossips who were speculating that Archie was named after someone Harry knew. And that was just ONE of the many speculative tidbits about how Archie’s name came about.
When H&M announced Archewell, they said it was a name they embraced BEFORE their son Archie was born and it was, in fact, the name they planned on giving to a charity foundation they hoped to create in their future. And then after their son was born, it became the inspiration for his name.
Any interested party who wants the know the facts and not just the mindless gossip, can go look up what H&M said about the meaning of Archewell.
He’s such an Archie though! I love the name Harrison but then his Nickname would be Harry.
Proud mother of a Harrison here! My Angel was born 3 years before Archie Harrison, not that is matters, I did not invent the name! We used to joke it was either going to be Harrison or Indiana Jones. I love Archie Harrison. Parents usually put a lot of thought into their kids names and it bugs me when others openly criticize their choice after the decision has been made. I wasn’t initially enthusiastic about one my nieces names but I kept those feelings to myself and wouldn’t you know it, I was wrong! That was the perfect name for her. Unless someone asks you for feedback, show some emotional intelligence and keep negative thoughts to yourself when it comes to things like naming a child. Viva Harrisons!
I don’t think anyone was criticizing the choice (least of all me. I adore both names) but it would be confusing for Harry and his son to both be called Harry, when in fact one is a Henry and one is a Harrison, so it’s not a “junior” situation. Harrison Ford is definitely a worthy namesake, but of course his real name is actually Harry. Indiana Jones would be an awesome name, except that as any true fan of the series knows, “We named the dog Indiana!” which would get old having people quote that, I think. 😉
Apologies BettyRose!!!! I did not mean you! You are my favorite commentator on here. How did I mess this up so badly? Ahhhhh!!!! Please, please, please forgive me and continue to comment and I will go back to reading and appreciating!!!
Yes, he so totally looks like an Archie.
I think of Archie as a very bright and happy name and that matches his sunny ginger mop of hair and big smile. I think it ended up being perfect for him.
Harrison is too close to Harry. It’s a great name though. A friend named his son that and the older brother’s name is Carter. You can go a long ways with President’s last names as first names.
I think they made the right choice. Archie Harrison runs better than the other way around.
I’m rather partial to Harrison as a middle name: that’s my oldest nephew’s middle name 😊
It’s hard to think of him as anything other than Archie now.
I had the same type of decision with my son. I knew that I wanted to name him after my great-aunt and my grandfather. But I didn’t decide the order until after my son was born and I could get a feel for which first name fit his personality best.
I like Archie Harrison. It sounds better than the other way around.
Glad they went with Archie! Archie Harrison sounds better imo.
I like the name Archie. It sounds very American to me and I immediately thought of the comic book character Archie Andrews, a famous redhead. And I heard that Meghan was a big fan of Archie comics growing up.
I typically dislike nicknames as full names but Archie has definitely grown on me and I love the way Archie Harrison sounds; it’s as if he’ll become an adventurer or explorer one day like Indiana Jones. And if Archie grows up and feels like he wants a more “mature” name, he can go by Arch or Harrison if he wants.
I actual believe the exact opposite. Why name your kid Henry if you are always going to call them Hank or Harry?!?!?!? Just name them the name you want to call them!
My first name is unisex and has no nickname (because it is a diminutive of a more proper name itself). I knew when I had children, I wanted them to have names that were obviously feminine or masculine, and that the feminine names needed to be sweet without being saccharine, sound appropriate for a pop singer or the POTUS, and I wanted them to have nickname potential. Two of my kids go by nicknames and two don’t.
At the time, it never occurred to me that one of my kids might be transgender, although if I had a child now, I’d probably take that into consideration and pick a unisex name that skews a bit more toward their assigned gender at birth than the other, but would hopefully give them options.
Sorry, I’m losing my original point. I like nicknames because they can create intimacy. There are people in my extended family that only allow family to call them their nicknames. In the reverse, only I call my husband by his full name. It’s special. Just for us.
Some people like options, or they like the idea of a more formal name if the child wants to change it down the road, or the child is named after someone so they want to use a nickname of that full name. For example, my oldest is named after y grandfather (same name as Incandescent, lol) and my grandfather used one nickname of that name and he uses another one that feels more modern to me.
Because the formal name gives the person more options when he grows up. My sister is a hashtag momma who insisted on only calling her son (my nephew) by a cutesy nickname. Now he’s 5 and already correcting her to use his full name, because he hates how the nickname makes him sound like a “baby.”
Thank god she put the formal name on the birth certificate.
It’s a name combo that would’ve worked well either way! I like Archie better as his first name, though, because if he was Harrison, his nickname would also be Harry.
Yeah, too many Harrys around the house. I get why they didn’t duplicate!
We had almost every guy in the family named Robert or Ronald in the older generations, what a pain.
I knew that Harrison was a patronymic, so I always read it as “Archie, Harry’s son,” like a previous poster said. Archie always seemed pretty upper crust British to me, in the same vein as Cressida, Calliope, Poppy, etc. I like it.
Archie has grown on me now and from the pictures we’ve seen of him, it fits. And to me Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor sounds stuffy as hell, lol. Archie sounds more approachable.
Has anyone else wondered why they didn’t go with “Archer” and shorten it to “Archie” as a nickname? Archie is a great name for a kid, but giving him “Archer” would give him the option to not have an “ee” sound at the end of his name.
It actually inspired me to consider Archer for my own list lol. I love the name Archer but I do think Archie suits him better.
@blairski: “Has anyone else wondered why they didn’t go with ‘Archer,’ and shorten it…”
^^ Yes, I’ve heard others reference that possibility/ name variation before. Interestingly, the name ‘Archer,’ equates to a ‘Hunter.’ That’s significant in the sense that Diana, as a Greek and Roman goddess mythologically, is said to be the patroness of hunters, the moon, and the countryside. As well, the goddess Diana, is closely related to the Greek goddess Artemis, in their connection to both the countryside and civilization.
So they’re not into mythology, maybe they just like the name Archie. Their kid, their business.
I was a bit surprised too.
Just wanted to say that photo of Harry & Archie, with Archie in his little teddy bear stocking cap, is my all-time favorite (so far).
Me too. I absolutely love that picture. It seems like Meghan took it, after they were forced to flee to Canada.
Selfishly wish I could see pics of Lili because they are all so sweet but I understand them keeping their children’s lives private. I enjoy Archie Harrison’s name.
We will see more pics soon. I am sure something is planned for Lili’s birthday.
Children’s names are so fascinating. Our son’s name is Josiah as a head nod to my hubby, Joshua. That means they have the same initials as well. It’s not calling him a Jr. but just a way to honor him in the name choice. I hated the name Archie at the time and wished they went with Harrison. It hasn’t grown on me I just gloss over it because I’m not in these people’s lives. 😄