The first name Richard
A boy’s name meaning “king”, “ruler”, “hard”.
Pronounced /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Richard means “king”, “ruler”, “hard”.
From Middle English Rycharde, from Old French Richard, from Medieval Latin Richardus, Ricohardus, from Frankish *Rīkahard, from Proto-Germanic *Rīkaharduz, a construction of *rīks (“king, ruler”) + *harduz (“hard, brave”). Cognate with Old High German Rīcohard (“Richard”). Partially related to rich. A hypothetical Old English equivalent *Rīċheard would also yield an identical "Richard" in Modern English, though it is unknown if the Old English equivalent existed.
More names that mean brave, king.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 92 boys were named Richard, making it the 431st most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 1,089 births (#62).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Richard with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Richard at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,505 boys born in the United States were named Richard, the 234th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1946, when 58,870 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Richard in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Richard in Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, French, German and Slovak too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Richard
1,566 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Richard WagnerGerman composer (1813–1883)
- Richard FeynmanAmerican theoretical physicist (1918–1988)
- Richard DawkinsEnglish ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author (born 1941)
- Richard StraussGerman composer and orchestra director (1864–1949)
- Richard GereAmerican actor (born 1949)
- Richard SimmonsAmerican fitness instructor and video producer (1948–2024)
- Richard BransonBritish business magnate, born 1950
- Richard AttenboroughBritish actor (1923–2014)
- Richard GriffithsBritish actor, 1947–2013
- Richard DedekindGerman mathematician (1831–1916)
- Richard BachAmerican spiritual writer (born 1936)
- Richard Francis BurtonBritish explorer, army officer, writer and scholar (1821–1890)
Questions
- What does the name Richard mean?
- Richard means “king”, “ruler”, “hard”.
- How popular is the name Richard?
- In 2025, 92 boys born in England and Wales were named Richard, ranking 431st. Its peak was 1996, with 1,089 births.
- What are nicknames for Richard?
- Common nicknames for Richard include Dickie, Richie, Dick, Dickey, Rich, Rick.
- Is Richard a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 2,587,082 US babies named Richard since 1880 were boys.
- When was Richard most popular?
- 1946 in the United States, when 58,870 babies were named Richard, its highest rank at 5th.
- How do you pronounce Richard?
- Richard is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/, 2 syllables.
- Is Richard also a surname?
- Yes. Richard is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.