Achilles

Achilles: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “uncertain”
Origin: Greek
Say it: uh-KIL-eez · 3 syllables
Used for: Boys

Name of the great hero of Greek epic. The etymology is disputed; proposed explanations exist, but no meaning is securely established. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.

Greek names Names meaning warrior Names meaning brave Mythological names Classic names Literary names

How popular is Achilles?

202449.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Achilles in 2024164

2024 rank#1,221 boys

Peak year2018

Total US babies since 18803,691

Achilles has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Achilles

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek
Andrewmanly, brave · Greek
Theogod · Greek
Georgefarmer, earth-worker · Greek

Achilles questions

What does the name Achilles mean?

Achilles means "uncertain". It comes from Greek. Name of the great hero of Greek epic. The etymology is disputed; proposed explanations exist, but no meaning is securely established.

Is Achilles a boy or girl name?

Achilles is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Achilles?

164 US babies were named Achilles in 2024. Its peak year was 2018.

How do you pronounce Achilles?

Achilles is usually pronounced uh-KIL-eez.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.