Red-haired Archie stars in US comic book

Archie is a name well known to Americans as the eponymous character of a famous comic book – with the main figure sporting red hair.

The Duke of Sussex is another famous red head and the association between fact and fiction was probably not lost on Harry and Meghan, who have spent the last few days mulling over a name for their baby son.

Harry revealed his wife was overdue when she gave birth, but said they had used the time to discuss a name for their son.

The character is part of the Archie gang, along with a host of characters – including Moose Mason, Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones – who have been on American news stands for years.

Archie Andrews is known as “America’s typical teenager” and he and his friends have been updated for a modern audience with Riverdale, a Netflix American teenage drama series.

Archie means “genuine”, “bold” and “brave”, and is German in origin. It is short for Archibald, but is also now a name in its own right.

Famous Archies include the actress Archie Panjabi, who starred in The Good Wife, and Archie Mitchell was a villain in the BBC soap EastEnders.

Archie was the 18th most popular name for boys in England and Wales in 2017, according to the latest available figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The name has experienced a dramatic rise in popularity since 1996 when it was only in 192nd place. Some 2,803 baby boys were named Archie in England and Wales in 2017.

In Scotland, Archie was the 17th most popular name for boys in 2018, according to the National Records of Scotland.

Harry and Meghan’s baby has the middle name Harrison, which means son of Harry, so is likely to be a tribute to the duke.

It is English in origin and famous Harrisons include the Star Wars actor Harrison Ford.

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