Achilles

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 8 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Achilles is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name785 records spelled Achilles32 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Greece, Cameroon

  Languages: French, Greek, English

  Also written Achille, Achilleas, Αχιλλεας, Αχιλλέας, Achileas

• Polish given name348 records spelled Achilles2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland

  Also written Achilleus

58 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Achilles is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, A mythical semidivine hero, the son of Peleus by the nereid Thetis, and prince of the Myrmidons, who features in the Iliad as a central character and the foremost warrior of the Achaean (Greek) camp.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Portuguese, Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of Aquiles.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, Homeric hero; pers. name

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In German, from the Homeric name Achilles

  as a name·Deutsche Namenkunde: Unsere Familiennamen nach ihrer Entstehung und Bedeutung

• In csb, Achilles (mythical semidivine hero, the son of Peleus by the nereid Thetis, and prince of the Myrmidons, who features in the Iliad as a central character and the foremost warrior of the Achaean (Greek) camp)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 63 years between 1912–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Achilleus Tatiosb. 200EGnot in their usual nameancient Greek novellist
• Achilles Gasserb. 1505DEGerman physician and astrologer
• James Achilles Kirkpatrickb. 1764GBAdministrator in British India
• Émile Prisse d'Avennesb. 1807FRnot in their usual nameFrench egyptologist (1807-1879)
• Achilles Alferakib. 1846UARussian composer (1846–1919)
• Richard A. Ballingerb. 1858USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician (1858–1922)
• Kullervo Mannerb. 1880FInot in their usual nameFinnish politician (1880-1939)
• Achilles Papapetroub. 1907GRGreek physicist
• Achilles Liarmakopoulosb. 1985GRGreek trombonist
• Achilleas Poungourasb. 1995GRnot in their usual nameGreek association football player

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 203 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Achilles?

We estimate roughly 3.1 thousand people bear Achilles (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Achilles have the most bearers?

We estimate about 2.4 thousand people bear Achilles in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled achilles.

Where is Achilles most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Achilles is densest in the Netherlands — about 1 in 84 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

Is Achilles a male or female name?

Achilles is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Achilles mean?

Recorded meaning: from the Greek hero or saint name Achilles