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Richard

boy name
Origin
Germanic
Syllables
2
Peak era
1940s/1950s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Richard and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

brave ruler

Goes by Dick, Rich, Richie, Rick. See all nicknames

Famously borne by Richard Bachman, the name Stephen King improvised from a novel on his desk and a band on the record player.

The story

Richard is old Germanic power compressed into two syllables: ric, ruler, and hard, brave or strong, together a brave ruler. The Normans carried it to England, where Richard the Lionheart made it a crusader king's name in the twelfth century, and it never really left the English-speaking world after that. Its American century built steadily from the start and crested at midcentury: through the 1940s and 1950s Richard sat among the most given boys' names in the country, with Dick, Rick, and Richie trailing behind it on every playground. The slide since the 1970s has been long and unhurried, the usual fate of a name so thoroughly claimed by one generation of fathers and grandfathers. What remains is bedrock: a thousand years of history in a name that still means exactly what it says.

More names with stories →

Richard's name family

One shared root links 7 names across 2 languages.

Shared root: from Germanic Ricohard, ric "power" + hard "brave, hardy"

The constellation

RichardEnglishRicardoSpanish

More branches

RickEnglish · short formRickyEnglish · short formRickeyEnglish · short formRichieEnglish · short formDixonEnglish · surname form

Ways to honor Richard →

How popular is Richard around the world?

In the United States, 9,999 babies were named Richard between 2020 and 2025. In Montevideo, 19 boys named Richard were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

Richard is on the official records of the United States, Montevideo, Ireland, Brazil, New Zealand, Austria, Canada, Chile, England and Wales, Scotland, Spain, South Australia, France, Argentina and Mexico City.

Richard crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish

United States

1 in 2,200

In the United States, 9,999 babies were named Richard between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1940s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Richard peaked in the 1940s and the 1950s in nearly equal measure. Richard went to 2,688 US babies in 2015 and 1,505 in 2025, 56% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Montevideo City

1 in 1,300 · 2011

In Montevideo, 19 boys named Richard were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 19752011

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

Ireland

1 in 2,700

In Ireland, 20 boys named Richard were born in 2025, the 232nd most common name among boys that year.

1964peak 19862025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

See the full list for Ireland →

Brazil

1 in 3,000

At the 2022 census, 67,614 people in Brazil were named Richard, the 453rd most common name, with a median age of 17.
Among people named Richard living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.

1930speak 2000s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 4,437 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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New Zealand

1 in 3,000

In New Zealand, 19 boys named Richard were registered in 2025.

1900peak 19452025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Austria

1 in 4,000

In Austria, 19 boys named Richard were born in 2025, the 293rd most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

peak 19842025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

See the full list for Austria →

Canada

1 in 5,400

In Canada, 68 boys named Richard were born in 2024, the 455th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19912024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Chile

1 in 5,700

In Chile, 31 boys were registered as Richard in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19732021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

England and Wales

1 in 6,400

In England and Wales, 92 boys named Richard were born in 2025, the 431st most common name among boys that year.

peak 19962025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Scotland

1 in 11,000

In Scotland, 4 boys named Richard were registered in 2024, the 619th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19742024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

Spain

1 in 13,000

In Spain, 3,453 residents are named Richard, the 551st most common name among men, with a mean age of 40.9 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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South Australia

1 in 18,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Richard in 2017.

peak 19462017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

France

1 in 21,000

In France, about 30 boys named Richard were born in 2025, ranked 1,112th among boys that year.

1900peak 19692025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

See the full list for France →

Argentina

1 in 26,000

In Argentina, 25 newborns were given the name Richard in 2024.

peak 20142024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

See the full list for Argentina →

Mexico City City

1 in 39,000

In Mexico City, there were 3 registrations of Richard in 2022.

2000peak 20082022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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New South Wales

outside the top 100

Richard is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.

peak 19652025

share of that year’s top-100 registrations

New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names

See the full list for New South Wales →

Norway

last on record 2023

Richard is not on the 2025 record for Norway, where names carried by fewer than 4 people in a year are withheld at source.

1945peak 19792025

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Poland

last on record 2024

Richard is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.

2000peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

Puerto Rico

last on record 2023

Richard is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 688 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 19992025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Richard

Most people given the name Richard in the United States were born between 1950 and 1989. The Richard you meet today is most often in his 50s or 60s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Richard

William Charles Hugh Alfonso Frederic Henry

Keep exploring

Nicknames for Richard · Vietnamese American baby names · Pen names and the names writers chose · Climbers and fallers

Name trails: explore connections from Richard →

The Richard deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Richard truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Richard fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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