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Richard

Quick answerRichard comes from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, rule) and "hard" (brave, strong), meaning "brave ruler" or "powerful leader." The name has Old Germanic roots and was Latinized as Richardus in medieval times.

English · Boy · 2 syllables

R
Top 500

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderBoy
US Rank#234
TrendStable
Peak year1946
Syllables2
OriginEnglish
LanguageEnglish
CultureEnglish, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Germanic, Hunga
ReligionChristianity
Letters7
Numerology7 Chaldean 9
Global rank#38

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Richard

Richard comes from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, rule) and "hard" (brave, strong), meaning "brave ruler" or "powerful leader." The name has Old Germanic roots and was Latinized as Richardus in medieval times.

Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

Richard comes from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, rule) and "hard" (brave, strong), meaning "brave ruler" or "powerful leader." The name has Old Germanic roots and was Latinized as Richardus in medieval times.

The name was adopted across Western European Christian cultures, particularly in England and France, and gained prominence through various kings and nobility, most notably King Richard the Lionheart of England during the Crusades.

Richard currently ranks #234 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1946.

Variants & nicknames

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Sibling name ideas

English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Germanic, Hunga names that sit beautifully beside Richard

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Phonetic match, not just spelling
Riccardo
Boy Italian

"Riccardo means "brave ruler" or "strong ruler," derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (ruler/king) and "hard" (brave/strong)."

Global rank #9 View name
Ricardo
Unisex Spanish

"Ricardo means "brave ruler" and derives from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, ruler) and "hard" (brave, strong), entering Romance languages…"

Global rank #16 View name
Ryszard
Boy Polish

"Ryszard means "brave ruler" or "strong ruler," deriving from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, rule) and "hard" (brave, strong), making…"

Global rank #76 View name
Rickard
Boy Swedish

"Rickard means "brave ruler" or "strong ruler," derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (power/rule) and "hard" (brave/strong)."

Global rank #92 View name
Rrezarta
Girl Albanian

"Rrezarta is an Albanian name meaning "dawn" or "daybreak," derived from the Albanian word "rrezat" (rays) combined with the feminine…"

Global rank #322 View name
Ricahrd
Boy Germanic

"The name Richard derives from the Germanic elements "ric" (power, ruler) and "hard" (brave, strong), meaning "brave ruler" or "strong…"

Global rank #324 View name
Rikard
Boy Swedish

"Rikard means "brave ruler" or "strong ruler," derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (ruler/king) and "hard" (brave/strong)."

Global rank #451 View name
Rikhard
Boy Finnish

"The given name 'Rikhard' means "brave ruler" or "powerful leader," derived from the Proto-Germanic elements *rīk- ("ruler, king") and *hardu-…"

Global rank #639 View name
Ricards
Boy Latvian

"The given name 'Ricards' is a Latvian variant of 'Richard', meaning "brave ruler" or "powerful leader," derived from the Old…"

Global rank #718 View name
Ryszarda
Girl Germanic

"Ryszarda is the feminine form of Ryszard, meaning "brave ruler" or "strong ruler," derived from the Old High German elements…"

Global rank #797 View name
Rikardo
Boy Hungarian (Modern)

"The name 'Rikardo' is a variant of 'Richard', meaning "brave ruler" or "powerful leader," derived from the Old Germanic elements…"

Global rank #826 View name
Ricarda
Girl Germanic

"Ricarda means "brave ruler" or "powerful leader," derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (ruler, king) and "hard" (brave, strong)."

Global rank #1,103 View name
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