Boy · #1,274 in 2026

Achilles

In Greek mythology, Achilles or Achilleus was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia and famous Argonaut. Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron.

  • Greek Mythology
  • Ancient Greek
Current Rank
#1,274
Peak Rank
#856 (2018)
Total Babies
4K
5-Yr Trend
-24%
1912
First Year
2026
Last Year
2018
Peak Year
#856
Peak Rank
4K
Total Count
64
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Achilles

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

In Greek mythology, Achilles or Achilleus was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia and famous Argonaut. Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Greek Mythology
  • Ancient Greek
Etymology
Linear B tablets attest to the personal name Achilleus in the forms a-ki-re-u and a-ki-re-we , the latter being the dative of the former. The name grew more popular, becoming common soon after the seventh century BCE and was also turned into the female form Ἀχιλλεία ( Achilleía ), attested in Attica in the fourth century BCE ( IG II² 1617) and, in the form Achillia , on a stele in Halicarnassus as the name of a female gladiator fighting an "Amazon". Achilles's name can be analyzed as a combination of ἄχος ( áchos ), 'distress, pain, sorrow, grief', and λαός ( laós ), 'people, soldiers, nation'

The Story of Achilles

Achilles first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2018: 257 births, good for #856 nationwide. About 46% of every Achilles on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Achilles ranks #1,274 for baby boys with 155 births, falling sharply (-24%). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
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OR
ID
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Top 10
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Variants & Related Forms of Achilles

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Achilles. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Achilles

Phonetically similar names — useful when Achilles is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Achilles

What does the name Achilles mean?
In Greek mythology, Achilles or Achilleus was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia and famous Argonaut. Achilles was raised in Phthia along with his childhood companion Patroclus and received his education by the centaur Chiron.
What is the origin of the name Achilles?
Achilles has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek.
How popular is Achilles in 2026?
In 2026, Achilles ranks #1,274 among boys' names in the U.S., with 155 babies given the name that year.
When was Achilles most popular?
Achilles reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #856 that year with 257 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Achilles most popular?
Achilles has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Achilles.
Is Achilles a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Achilles is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Achilles?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Achilles include Luigi, Attilio, Jaydan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Achilles?
Common variants and related forms of Achilles include Achilleus. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

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Luigi
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Attilio
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Jaydan
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Almon
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Zed
Peak #857
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Rosendo
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Jethro
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Alston
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About the name Achilles

Achilles is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Achilles's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #856. Use the chart and map above to compare Achilles's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.