Richard
Richard was the 234th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,505 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 5th; the most babies were born in 1946 (58,870). Over the last ten years it has moved down 79 places. More babies were named Richard in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning strong ruler · Germanic, French
Say it RICH-erd /ˈrɪtʃərd/
- Rank in 2025
- #234 boys, down 26 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,505boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194658,870 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,587,082babies recorded
What does the name Richard mean?
Richard is a Germanic name made of ric, 'ruler, king', and hard, 'strong, brave'; DMNES and Wiktionary agree, giving roughly 'strong in rule'. The Normans brought it to England, and DMNES lists saints and several kings of England with the name. Wiktionary notes that it is distantly related to the word rich. Medieval pet forms recorded by DMNES include Dicon and Dik, the origin of Dick; Rick and Richie are modern.
*rīks (Proto-Germanic, “ruler, king”)*harduz (Proto-Germanic, “hard, strong, brave”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Rick, Rich, Richie, Dick, Ricardo, Riccardo.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Richard', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Richard', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Richard', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Richard
The usual nicknames for Richard are Rick, Ricky, Rich, Richie and Dick. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Richard in the last five years, 18 were named Ricky, against 16 twenty years earlier. Rich and Richie are also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rick · also for Eric, Derek, Ricardo | Traditional | #3,077 | 216 |
| Ricky · also for Eric, Ricardo, Rick | Traditional | #949 | 1,435 |
| Rich | Traditional | #4,017 | 145 |
| Richie · also for Ricardo | Traditional | #1,861 | 391 |
| Dick · Dick comes from Rick via rhyming | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Richards go by each one.
Richard popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 9,530 since 1886.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #234 | 1,505 |
| 2020 | #208 | 1,828 |
| 2010 | #125 | 3,238 |
| 2000 | #65 | 6,354 |
| 1990 | #35 | 13,580 |
| 1980 | #26 | 16,656 |
| 1970 | #10 | 30,442 |
| 1960 | #8 | 43,553 |
| 1950 | #7 | 51,003 |
| 1940 | #5 | 37,425 |
| 1930 | #5 | 32,187 |
| 1920 | #10 | 15,010 |
| 1910 | #21 | 1,654 |
| 1900 | #24 | 1,141 |
| 1890 | #25 | 743 |
| 1880 | #23 | 728 |
How popular is Richard, counting every spelling?
Richard has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #252 for boys in 2025, against #234 on the official list, because Kayson/Kaison/Kaysen and Eric/Erick/Erik and Zayn/Zayne/Zain move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Richard?
1,505 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Richard (0.42 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Richard 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 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Richard.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Richard?
About 1,406,000 people born in the US named Richard are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 48 and 73. That makes Richard a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Richard by state
How common Richard was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (3.2×), Delaware (2.6×), District of Columbia (2.4×), New Mexico (2.0×), New Hampshire (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in North Dakota, Minnesota, Tennessee.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Richard: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Richard, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Richard · Sibling names for Richard
Questions about the name Richard
What does Richard mean?
Richard means “strong ruler” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Richard?
Richard was the 234th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,505 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 5th; the most babies were born in 1946 (58,870). Over the last ten years it has moved down 79 places. More babies were named Richard in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Richard a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Richard in the US.
Where is Richard most popular?
In 2021–2025, Richard was most common in Alaska (3.02 per 1,000 boys), followed by Delaware and District of Columbia.