Archibald is a masculine given name, composed of the Germanic elements erchan (with an original meaning of "genuine" or "precious") and bald meaning "bold".

Medieval forms include Old High German Erchambald, Erkanbold, Erkanbald and Anglo-Saxon Eorcenbald. Erkanbald, bishop of Strasbourg (d. 991) was also rendered Archaunbault in Old French. There is also a secondary association of its first element with the Greek prefix archi- meaning "chief, master", to Norman England in the high medieval period.

The form Archibald became particularly popular among Scottish nobility in the later medieval to early modern periods, whence usage as a surname is derived by the 18th century, found especially in Scotland and later Nova Scotia.