2-Month-Old Archie Is Already Prompting Baby-Naming Trends In The U.S.

I am going to be honest with you — the first time I heard that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry named their baby boy Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor I found the name a little... I don't know. Not especially royal? To be fair, perhaps this was because when I was a kid my friend had a super cute dog named Archie and so I always thought of this as a bit of a dog name. How things have changed in just a few short months. Because not only have I totally embraced the sweet moniker, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's son Archie has prompted a baby-naming trend around the world because it's just that cute. I guess you can't base all of your opinions on the pets of your childhood.

The 2-month-old baby boy — who's the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and great-grandson to Queen Elizabeth — has only been here since May 6 and here he is already proving himself to be a total taste-maker. For starters, baby name-tracking site Nameberry released the most popular names for the first half of 2019 on Tuesday and perhaps unsurprisingly, Archie made the list. Well he didn't just make the list — according to Nameberry, Archie is the most popular boys' name of 2019 so far, with Isla making it as the number one girl's name.

Not too shabby considering he was born five months into the year.

To be fair, the name Archie, which BabyCenter notes means "truly brave" and is Germanic in origin, was already on the rise before the royal baby was born. In fact, the name Archie has long been popular in the United Kingdom, consistently ranking in the top 100 baby names across the pond through the years, according to Nameberry.

While the name was already on the rise in 2017 and 2018 and was listed as the fastest growing baby name in America last year, Nameberry CEO Pamela Redmond noted in a blog post that the name did see a significant jump after the royal baby's birth in May. "Midway through the year, Archie attracted 50 percent more page views than any other boys’ name, thanks largely to Britain's latest royal baby," Redmond said.

This isn't the first time a royal baby has helped spark a baby-naming trend. When Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed their son, Prince George, in 2013, his name jumped from number 10 on lists of popular names in the United Kingdom to number 3 (behind Oliver and Harry) in 2017, according to USA Today. While his name hasn't caught on quite so much in the United States, as as USA Today explained, it has been a hit across the pond.

As for the couple's second child, Princess Charlotte wasn't making it onto any top 20 lists before her arrival in 2015. Now, however, the vintage name is consistently listed in the top 10 in both the United States and England, according to Nameberry.

There is something sort of sweet and unique and accessible about the name Archie, now that I think about it. Not to mention classic; it might have dropped out of popularity for awhile, but it's always been around. I have a feeling Archie will continue to sit at the top of baby name lists for the foreseeable future. Until another royal baby comes along to nudge it off, perhaps.