Riccardo
Riccardo was the 5794th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 16 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 1356th; the most babies were born in 1979 (37). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,124 places. More babies were named Riccardo in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ricardo) strong ruler (Spanish form of Richard) · Germanic, Spanish
- Rank in 2025
- #5,794 boys, up 2,149 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 16boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197937 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,576babies recorded
What does the name Riccardo mean?
Riccardo is a spelling of Ricardo, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ricardo's meaning and origin.
Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Richard. DMNES derives Richard from Old High German rīh, "ruler", and hart, "strong, hard", and Harrison (1918) glosses it "powerfully brave". The name came to England with the Normans and became royal there, with Richard the Lionheart. In the US Ricardo is used mainly in Latino families.
rīh (Old High German, “ruler, powerful”)hart (Old High German, “hard, strong, brave”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Richard, Riccardo, Ricky, Rico.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ricardo', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Richard', DMNES, Durham University
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'RICHARD', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Riccardo popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,794 | 16 |
| 2020 | #7,943 | 10 |
| 2010 | #7,004 | 12 |
| 2000 | #8,045 | 8 |
| 1990 | #2,758 | 24 |
| 1980 | #1,845 | 31 |
| 1970 | #1,605 | 29 |
| 1960 | #1,682 | 24 |
| 1950 | #2,095 | 14 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Riccardo, counting every spelling?
Riccardo is a spelling of Ricardo, a name family that ranked #386 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,794 for Riccardo on its own. Together these spellings went to 849 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricardo | 833 | #380 | 4,446 |
| Riccardo | 16 | #5,794 | 70 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Riccardo?
16 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Riccardo (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Riccardo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 529 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Riccardo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Riccardo?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Riccardo are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 27 and 57. That makes Riccardo mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Riccardo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Riccardo, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Riccardo
What does Riccardo mean?
Riccardo is a spelling of Ricardo, which means “strong ruler (Spanish form of Richard)” (Germanic, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Riccardo?
Riccardo was the 5794th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 16 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 1356th; the most babies were born in 1979 (37). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,124 places. More babies were named Riccardo in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Riccardo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Riccardo in the US.