UK boy's name
Archimedes
A Greek name meaning "foremost" or "master of thought".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Archimedes is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Archimedes popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 4 births.
This profile covers 17 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2012 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 17 living people in the UK are called Archimedes. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Archimedes ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 4 boys were registered as Archimedes.
- • About 17 living people in the UK are estimated to have Archimedes as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2012
4 births
Estimated living
17
2026
Meaning
What does Archimedes mean?
The name Archimedes originated from the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek words "archi" meaning "master" or "chief," and "medos" meaning "thought" or "mind." The name can be interpreted as "master of thought" or "chief mind."
Archimedes was a famous Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer who lived from around 287 BC to 212 BC. He is renowned for his contributions to mathematics, including the calculation of the value of pi, the area of a circle, and the volume and surface area of a sphere. He is also known for his principle of buoyancy, which he famously discovered while taking a bath.
The name Archimedes appeared in various ancient Greek texts and historical records, including the works of Plutarch, Cicero, and Livy. It was also mentioned in the Bible's New Testament, where the name is used in a reference to a Jewish man from Alexandria.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Archimedes is, of course, the famous Greek mathematician and inventor himself. Other notable historical figures with the name Archimedes include Archimedes of Tralles, a 5th-century Greek mathematician and inventor, and Archimedes of Apamea, a 5th-century Greek philosopher and astronomer.
In more recent history, Archimedes is the name of a lunar crater on the Moon, named after the ancient Greek mathematician. It is also the name of a Mars rover, launched by NASA in 2011, which was part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.
Some other notable people throughout history with the name Archimedes include Archimedes Plutonides (1st century BC), a Greek mathematician and philosopher; Archimedes Gamboa (1909-1972), a Filipino writer and activist; and Archimedes Quintero (1887-1972), a Mexican artist and painter.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Archimedes over time
The chart below shows babies named Archimedes registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Archimedes, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Archimedes by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Archimedes was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4991 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4326 | 14 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Archimedes
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Archimedes: questions and answers
How popular is the name Archimedes in the UK right now?
In 2023, Archimedes was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Archimedes most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 4 babies registered as Archimedes in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Archimedes?
A Greek name meaning "foremost" or "master of thought".
How many people are called Archimedes in the UK?
A total of 17 babies have been registered as Archimedes across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.