Fun Facts About the Name Arcadia
- 660 babies named Arcadia: U.S. records list 660 babies given the name Arcadia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Arcadia Mean?
Arcadia is a feminine given name taken from the Greek place name Arkadia (Ἀρκαδία), so its literal sense is 'of Arcadia' or 'from Arcadia.' The region's name is traditionally linked to Arkas (Ἀρκάς), a figure in Greek myth, but the derivation of that name is not settled: it is often connected with arktos (ἄρκτος), 'bear,' because of the myth of Callisto, while other explanations relate it to arkein (ἀρκέω), 'to ward off' or 'to suffice.' The place name also came to stand for an idealized pastoral landscape, a symbolic meaning that is later than the literal geographic sense.
Arcadia Name History & Origins
Arcadia was the name of a mountainous region in the central Peloponnese of Greece. Ancient Greek writers called it Arkadia, and its people were the Arcadians. Greek myth made Arcas, said to be a son of Zeus and Callisto, the region's ancestor; the story of Callisto being turned into a bear helped attach the 'bear' association to the name. In Latin the region was Arcadia, the form that passed into English.
Through the pastoral poetry of Virgil and later Renaissance and Romantic writers, Arcadia became a literary byword for a simple rural life. Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia and the painting motto Et in Arcadia ego are well-known uses, but they belong to the word's literary afterlife, not to its earliest origin. As a given name, Arcadia is a feminine place-name use; it appears in English and in Spanish. It is related to the male name Arcadius, 'of Arcadia,' though Arcadia itself comes directly from the place name.
How Popular is the Name Arcadia?
Arcadia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #3,585 in 1932.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,934 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #6,393 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #5,261 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #7,667 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #4,845 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2020 | #6,347 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #4,920 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #4,783 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2017 | #5,064 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2016 | #6,930 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #6,046 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #9,032 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #6,275 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #9,164 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #5,965 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #13,617 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #8,500 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #5,455 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2007 | #12,803 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #10,683 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #8,949 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #7,436 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #7,619 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #13,776 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #6,990 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #7,206 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #7,280 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #14,334 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #7,322 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #5,789 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #10,613 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #7,137 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #7,534 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #10,574 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #7,003 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #9,305 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #6,177 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #6,306 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #8,842 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #8,594 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #9,220 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #9,302 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #9,186 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #9,089 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #7,693 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #8,502 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #4,606 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #4,282 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,585 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #4,053 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #5,147 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #4,283 | 6 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Arcadia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Arcadia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arcadia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.