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Irish surname

Archer: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Áirséir · Norman 'le Archer', i.e. the archer or professional bowman

Woulfe (1923) gives Archer as the Norman 'le Archer', the archer or professional bowman, the name of an Anglo-Norman family who came into Ireland at the time of the invasion and settled in Kilkenny. In 1890, 15 Archer birth entries were registered in Ireland, 10 of them in Ulster.

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Coat of arms associated with the Archer surname
Irish formÁirséir
MeaningNorman 'le Archer', i.e. the archer or professional bowman
CountiesKilkenny, Armagh, Antrim and Dublin
Other spellings2
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Archer crest gifts

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Origin of the Archer name

Woulfe: Áirséir (Archer, Orchard), Norman 'le Archer', 'the name of an Anglo-Norman family who came into Ireland at the time of the invasion and settled in Kilkenny, where they became wealthy and influential'.[1]

  1. 189015 Archer birth entries in Ireland: Leinster 5, Ulster 10.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. KilkennyWoulfe: where the Anglo-Norman Archer family settled.[1]
Co. Armagh, Antrim and DublinMatheson: counties in which principally found in 1890; 10 of 15 entries in Ulster.[3]

Notable people named Archer

Father James ArcherWoulfe: 'the celebrated Irish Jesuit', belonging to the Anglo-Norman Archer family.[1]

Other spellings

Orchard · Áiséir[1]

The Archer coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Archer surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Archer surname: questions

Is Archer an Irish name?

Woulfe gives Archer as Norman 'le Archer', the name of an Anglo-Norman family who came into Ireland at the time of the invasion and settled in Kilkenny.[1]

What does the surname Archer mean?

Woulfe glosses the Norman 'le Archer' as the archer or professional bowman. He also gives Archer as an English form of a different name, Mac Arcail, 'son of Arkil' (Anglo-Saxon Arcytel); the two origins are unrelated.[1][4]

Where in Ireland is the Archer name found?

Woulfe places the Anglo-Norman family in Kilkenny. In 1890, 10 of the 15 Archer entries in Ireland were in Ulster; Matheson names Armagh, Antrim and Dublin.[1][3]

Sources

  1. Áirséir — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/a/airseir.php
  2. Áiséir — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/a/aiseir.php
  3. Archer — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/archer.php
  4. Mac Arcail — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-arcail.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).