Why does 32-bit called x86 while 64-bit called x64

x86 represents 32bit because x86 is the name of the architecture, and the name comes from a series of old Intel processors, the names of which all ended in 86. X86 was originally a 16-bit architecture, the version in use today is the 32-bit extension.

What is a bit?

A  bit is a single character that can be either 1 or 0, A bit is a binary digit, the smallest increment of data on a computer. Group 8 bits together to make 1 byte. A bit is too small to be much use.

What is Byte?

A byte is a set of eight bits. One byte = collection of 8 bits.

x86,

Any instruction set that was generated from the instruction set of the Intel 8086 processor is referred to as having an “x86” code. Its successors, which were given the model numbers 80186, 80286, 80386, and 80486, were all compatible with the original 8086 and could run programs designed for it. The names Pentium, Celeron, Core, and Xeon were later given to Intel’s 8086-compatible CPUs, although by that time the term “x86” had come to refer to all processors built using the same instruction set family.

Why is the 64-bit called x64?

When Microsoft began migrating subsequent NT-derived Windows to the 64-bit expansion to the x86 instruction set, which was made available, some official technical names had to be chosen for the version built for this architecture. Since AMD originally provided the specifications for the 64-bit expansion to x86, it was sometimes referred to as “amd64” rather than “intel64,” which had indicated Itanium.

However, Microsoft did not want to include the name of a specific company in the name they chose for the architecture. Additionally, the name “x86-64,” which was later used, had not yet become the architecture’s common name, and the dash character on the name “X86-64” might pose a challenge in some instances where the architecture name is used and must be parsed by computer code. Thus, they decided on the name “x64”, as a 64-bit version of x86.