100+ Best Archer Names In Fiction, Sport, And History

Georgia Stone
Mar 01, 2024 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Nov 06, 2020
Young Caucasian female archer shooting with a bow in a field at sunset
Age: 0-99
Read time: 10.4 Min

The image of the archer has been prominent throughout history.

A bow and arrow are sophisticated and elegant. It may not exert brute power, but who among us has not marvelled at the sight of Legolas smoothly shooting arrows in 'The Lord Of The Rings'?

It requires skill and dexterity to draw a bow. This list of the most famed archer names across history, mythology, sports, and fiction is sure to inspire you to have a go. If you are looking for names that mean archer, why not try 'Ivar' which is a Scandinavian boy name meaning "archer"?

Already inspired? Kidadl also features lists of bow names and hunter names for you to check out.

Famous Archers In History

Is Robin Hood, outlaw English hero, the first name that comes to your mind when you think of archers? Below is a list of some well-known historical archers.

1. Dongmyeong of Goguryeo, also named 'Jumong', which means "skilled archer" in Buyeo, the founding King of Goguryeo, one of the three Kingdoms of Korea.

2. Einar Eindridesson Thambarskelfir, a Norwegian politician in the Viking age.

3. Fred Bear, an American bowhunter, also known as 'The Father of Bowhunting'. He is one of the most famous hunter names around the world.

4. Horace A. Ford, one of the best target bowmen of all time.

5. Howard Hill, American archer in the '30s '40s and '50s, often known as 'The World's Greatest Archer'.

6. Ishi, an expert Native American archer.

7. Jack Churchill, an English military officer known as 'Mad Jack', who is said to have wielded his longbow in World War II.

8. Lu Bu, a Chinese military general and archer of the Han dynasty.

9. Minamoto Na Tametomo, a Samurai archer of the twelfth century. He is said to have sunk a ship with just one arrow.

10. Robin Hood, the iconic hero from English folklore, who robbed the rich to help the poor. He may arguably be one of the most famous archer names of all time.

11. Tomoe Gozen, a female Japanese archer from the late twelfth century.

12. William Tell, expert crossbowman from Swiss folklore, famous for his 'apple shot'.

13. Yue Fei, a Chinese military general from the Song dynasty.

Famous Archers In Mythology

Archery has played an irreplaceable role in mythology and folklore. Here are some legendary archer names who have helped shape the myths as we know them.

14. Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna in 'Mahabharata' who fought in the Kurukshetra War.

15. Amazons, the legendary women warriors in Greek mythology who were master archers.

16. Apollo, the Olympian God of music, who was also a master archer.

17. Arash, an expert archer in Iranian mythology.

18. Arjuna, the protagonist of the Hindu epic 'Mahabharata', known as the greatest archer in Hindu mythology.

19. Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunting and archery.

20. Ashwatthama, son of Guru Dronacharya. He battled the Pandavas in 'Mahabharata'.

21. Atalanta, a Greek Goddess known for her love for archery.

22. Bhishma, a character in 'Mahabharata', this is one of the greatest archer names of all time.

23. Chiron, the centaur in Greek mythology whose main weapon is the bow and arrow.

24. Cupid/Eros, the Greek God of love who is pictured with a bow and arrow.

25. Diana, the Roman Goddess of hunting and archery, an equivalent of Artemis.

26. Drona or Dronacharaya, a guru in 'Mahabharata' who trained many Kauravas and Pandavas in archery.

27. Egil or Agilaz, a skilled archer from Norse mythology.

28. Eklavya, a self-learned archer from the Hindu Epic 'Mahabharata'.

29. Feng Meng, apprentice and killer of Houyi, the Lord Archer in Chinese Mythology.

30. Hayk the Great, Armenia’s founder and a master archer.

31. Heracles or Hercules, the famed Greek hero who carried out The Twelve Labors.

32. Houyi, the gifted divine archer in Chinese mythology.

33. Odysseus, Greek King from the Trojan War and hero of Homer’s epic 'Odyssey'. He shot his wife Penelope’s suitors after stringing his bow that none of the other suitors could do.

34. Paris, one of the main figures in the Trojan War in Greek mythology. He shot an arrow through the heel of Achilles, killing the latter.

35. Rama, from 'Ramayana', the Hindu deity who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. He easily wielded Sharanga, the divine bow of Lord Vishnu.

36. Skaði, the Norse Goddess of archery and winter.

37. Teucer, an expert archer in Greek mythology.

38. Ullr, a Norse God who was an excellent hunter, skier and archer.

Famous Archers In Movies, TV And Literature

From 'Avengers' to 'The Hunger Games', the bow and arrow have seen prominence in movies, comics, TV and novels. Below are some literature and movie archers we love who have inspired us beyond a shadow of doubt.

39. Abigail Whistler, a character from 'Blade: Trinity' who wields a compound bow.

40. Alec Lightwood, the protagonist from the novel series 'Mortal Instruments' and the TV series 'Shadowhunters'.

41. Allison Argent, a proficient archer from the TV series 'Teen Wolf'.

42. Artemis Crock or Tigress, fictional superheroine and supervillain from 'DC Comics'.

43. Arwyn, accomplished archer and the main character from the fantasy comics 'Soujourn'.

44. Bard the Bowman, a character from J. R. R Tolkien’s fantasy novel series 'The Hobbit', who kills Smaug the Dragon.

45. Barney Barton, brother of Clint Barton in 'Marvel Comics'.

46. Bow, a master archer from the animated series 'She Ra And The Princesses Of Power'.

47. Clint Barton or Hawkeye, one of the famed archer names from 'Marvel Comics', specifically the 'The Avengers' series.

48. Daryl Dixon, a fictional character from the post-apocalyptic zombie TV series 'The Walking Dead'.

49. Eragon, the protagonist from the high fantasy novel series, 'The Inheritance Cycle'.

50. Gale Hawthorne, one of the primary characters from 'The Hunger Games'.

51. Green Arrow or Oliver Queen, superhero vigilante archer from 'DC Comics' and the TV series 'Arrow'.

52. Guinevere, a skilled archer in the film 'King Arthur', played by Keira Knightley.

53. Huntress/Helena Bertinelli, a superheroine from 'DC Comics' who uses the compound bow.

54. Hua Rong, the legendary archer in 'Water Margin', one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

55. John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone in 'Rambo', the 2008 film.

56. Kate Bishop or Hawkeye, an archer superheroine belonging to 'Young Avengers' in the MCU.

57. Karai, female character from the  'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' comics.

58. Kili, a skilled archer in Thorin’s company of dwarfs in 'The Hobbit'.

59. Legolas Greenleaf, from J. R. R Tolkien’s 'The Lord Of The Rings'. He is one of the most notable archery characters in popular culture.

60. Katniss Everdeen, the name of the protagonist of 'The Hunger Games' series.

61. May Welland, from the historical film and novel 'The Age of Innocence'.

62. Maya or Chandi Gupta, an Indian superheroine from 'DC Comics'. She can manifest the powers of the elements.

63. Merlyn or Dark Archer from 'DC Comics', the arch-rival of Green Arrow.

64. Neytiri, the name of the lead female character of 2009 sci-fi film 'Avatar'.

65. Prince William, supporting character and love interest of Snow White in 'Snow White And The Huntsman'.

66. Princess Merida, the name of the protagonist of the Disney animated film 'Brave', known for her archery skills.

67. Sterling Archer, from the titular adult animated series 'Archer', wields a recurve bow.

68. Susan Pevensie, the name of the eldest sister among the Pevensie siblings and proficient archer in 'The Chronicles Of Narnia'.

69. Tauriel, a female character name from the film series 'The Hobbit' who wields the bow. She does not appear in the books by Tolkien.

70. Theon Greyjoy, son of Balon Greyjoy and ward of Eddard Stark in the novel series 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' and its adapted TV series 'Game Of Thrones'.

71. Will Treaty, the name of a ranger in the novel series 'Ranger’s Apprentice'.

72. Ygritte, name of one of the Free Folk in 'Game Of Thrones'.

73. Zartan, character name from 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero', a bow-wielding villain mercenary.

An elven girl archer and a formidable giant orc prepare for battle

Famous Archers In Manga And Anime

Here is a list of popular fantasy archers in manga and anime who wield the bow and arrow, magical or otherwise.

74. Archer, one of the main protagonists in the series 'Fate, Stay Night'.

75. Ashitaka, a fantasy archer protagonist in the animated film 'Princess Mononoke'.

76. Kagome Higurashi, the female protagonist in 'InuYasha' and reincarnation of Kikyo, famed archer.

77. Miyuki Sagara, a character from the series 'Red Data Girl', trained in archery.

78. Natsume Tsuchimikado, from the TV series 'Tokyo Ravens'. He wields magical arrows.

79. Pokkle, archer and hunter who competed in the Hunter Exam in the series 'Hunter & Hunter'.

80. Rei Hino, better known as Sailor Mars, from the series 'Sailor Moon'.

81. Rowen Hashiba, one of the five Ronin Warriors in the series 'Samurai Heart', skilled in archery.

82. Ruriko Ikusawa, one of the Gate Keepers recruited by A.E.G.I.S. in the series 'Gate Keepers'. She uses the bow and arrow during combat.

83. Shino Asada or Shinon, a character appearing in the series 'Sword Art Online'.

84. Tigrevurmund Vorn or Tigre, protagonist and owner of the Black Bow in the series 'Lord Marksman & Vanadis'.

85. Uryu Ishida, who uses Kojaku, a bow made of spiritual energy in the series 'Bleach'.

86. Yona, a princess in the TV show 'Yona Of The Dawn'.

Famous Archers In Video Games

The following are skilled archer characters from some of your favorite video games.

87. Ashe, Iceborn who belongs to the Avarosan tribe in the game 'League Of Legends'.

88. Ellie, a character in the game series 'The Last Of Us'.

89. Fran, female character belonging to the Viera race in the video game series 'Final Fantasy'.

90. Garrett, the protagonist in the game series 'Thief', whose primary weapon of choice is the bow.

91. Hanzo Shimada, from the series 'Overwatch', who wields a host of arrows.

92. Lara Croft, the main protagonist of the video game series 'Tomb Raider' who primarily uses a bow and arrows in battle.

93. Link, a fictional character from the game series 'The Legend Of Zelda'.

94. Pit, the protagonist in the Nintendo video game series 'Kid Icarus', who wields a magical bow.

95. Prophet, the main character in 'Crysis 3' who uses a compound bow known as the Predator Bow.

96. Shinon, a skilled archer in the fantasy game series 'Fire Emblem'.

97. Sylvanas Windrunner or The Dark Lady, appearing in the 'Warcraft' video game series.

98. Wander, the protagonist in the game series 'Shadow of the Colossus', who primarily uses the bow and arrow.

Young archer training with the bow

Famous Archers In The World Of Sports

Below are famous archers in real life who have ruled Olympic archery across years and generations.

99. Aida Nabila Roman Arroyo, Mexican archer and three time Olympian. She is one of the most famous archery names around the world.

100. Brady Ellison, top-ranked seasoned American recurve archer and one of the best archer names in Olympic archery.

101. Chang Hye Jin, South Korean recurve archer, this female archer has come to rank number one in women's archery.

102. Darrell Pace, famed American target archer in the '70s and '80s.

103. Hubert Van Innis, a great Belgian Olympic competitor in archery who won six gold medals at the start of the twentieth century. He participated in two Olympics 20 years apart.

104. Ki Bo-bae, South Korean recurve archer who has won three gold medals at the Olympics and one bronze.

105. Kim Soo-nyung, famed woman archer of South Korean who won four gold medals at the Olympics.

106. Ku Bon-chan, South Korean recurve archer who won the 2016 Olympic gold medal for archery.

107. Michele Frangili, an Italian archer who has come to hold several world records.

108. Park Sung Hyun, a recurve woman archer from South Korea, named the greatest Olympic archer in 2016.

109. Sebastien Flute, French Olympian who won the 1992 Olympics gold medal.

110. Yun Mi Jin, the name of an archer from South Korea who competed in two Olympic years. She is a three time Olympic gold medalist.

Kidadl has lots of great name articles that would inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for archer names, then why not take a look at these assassin names, or for something different, have a look at these thief names.

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia Stone picture

Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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