Richard

Meaning: Powerful and brave ruler
Origin: English (from Germanic via Old French)

Nicknames: Rick, Rich, Ricky, Richie, Rickey

Boy's name · #234 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Richard was #5 back in 1930, held the national top 10 for 51 straight years, and stands at #234 today. About 2.6 million boys have carried it since 1880.

Across the states

See where Richard is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 48 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Richard ranks in other countries and regions.

#19 in Slovakia (2025) · #39 in Czechia (2025) · #68 in Hungary (2025) · #240 in Ireland (2025) · #244 in Ecuador (2025) · #254 in New Zealand (2025) · #302 in Austria (2025) · #431 in England & Wales (2025) · #468 in N. Ireland (2025) · #495 in Belgium (2025) · #630 in Scotland (2025) · #739 in Sweden (2025) and 4 more.

Famous Richards

Richard Wagner — German composer (1813–1883)
Richard Nixon — President of the United States from 1969 to 1974 (1913–1994)
Richard Feynman — American theoretical physicist (1918–1988)
Richard Stallman — American software freedom activist, short story writer and computer programmer, founder of the GNU project
Richard Dawkins — English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author (born 1941)

In stories & tradition

Richard (Dick Grayson) — Harley (film)
Richard Alpert — Lost (TV series)
Richard (Riddick) — The Chronicles of Riddick (Bible)

What Richards become

Among 23,926 notable people named Richard:

Military figures appear 1.71× more often than among typical names — e.g. Richard Francis Burton, British explorer, army officer, writer and scholar (1821–1890).

Spellings & nicknames

Earlier generations knew Dick — the standard of the 1930s. About 290 boys a year are given Ricky as their full name and 78 Richie.

Similar names: Ricky · Mark · Ryker · Eric · Edward · Ronald

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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