How common is the surname Richard?

53,893 people in the United States had the surname Richard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,729 Americans. It ranked 629th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Richard?

Wendy Richard, British actress (1943–2009), followed by Dawn Richard.

Where is the surname Richard most common?

Wikidata records people named Richard in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria.

How do you pronounce Richard?

Richard is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Richard getting more or less common?

More common. 52,138 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 53,893 in 2010, up 3.4%.

Is Richard also a first name?

Yes. Richard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Richard

A patronymic surname, carried by 53,893 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/ 2 syllables Soundex R263 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Richard is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

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.

Richard is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 53,893 people named Richard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,729 Americans. That is up 3.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 52,138.

#629

rank among US surnames

53,893

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.4%

change since 2000 (was #581)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#620	Huynh	54,996	5,614
#621	Randall	54,764	5,638
#622	Singleton	54,621	5,653
#623	Kirk	54,394	5,676
#624	Combs	54,257	5,690
#625	Mathis	54,217	5,695
#626	Christian	54,198	5,697

Who is named Richard

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

70% of people named Richard identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 70%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.8%
Two or more races 2.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Richards

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Wendy Richard
British actress (1943–2009)
Dawn Richard
American singer (born 1983)
Fred Richard
American gymnast, born 2004
Patrick Richard
American basketball player, born 1990
Frida Richard
Austrian actress (1873-1946)
J. R. Richard
American baseball player (born 1950)
Zachary Richard
American musician, singer and poet, born 1950
Clayton Richard
American baseball player (born 1983)
Viola Richard
American actress (1904-1973)
Chris Richard
American basketball player, NCAA Tournament champion, born 1984
Naïka
American singer, born 1995

Notable Richards come mostly from the United States (9), the United Kingdom (1) and Austria (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Richard

Richard has the Soundex code R263, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R263.

Questions

Where does the surname Richard come from?: 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…
How common is the surname Richard?: 53,893 people in the United States had the surname Richard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,729 Americans. It ranked 629th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Richard?: In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Richard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Richard?: Wendy Richard, British actress (1943–2009), followed by Dawn Richard.
Where is the surname Richard most common?: Wikidata records people named Richard in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria.
How do you pronounce Richard?: Richard is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Richard?: Richard is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Richard getting more or less common?: More common. 52,138 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 53,893 in 2010, up 3.4%.
Is Richard also a first name?: Yes. Richard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.