Boy name · Germanic
Richard
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: brave rulerRichard is a boy's name that comes from Germanic and means "brave ruler". It is used in English, French and German.
- Meaning
- Brave ruler
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #234 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Richard
As a boy's name, Richard comes from Germanic and means "brave ruler". It is used in English, French and German.
Richard is also a surname: the 650th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 51,000 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Richard on our names that mean strong list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Richard on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Richard on 5 lists.
“Brave ruler; Germanic. Distinguished family-name choice”
From Boy middle names, classic boy middle names
“Brave ruler; Germanic. England's crusader king, the Lionheart”
From Classic boy names, timeless boy names
“Brave ruler; Germanic. The Lionheart, crusading king of England, 1189 to 1199”
From Medieval names and surnames, medieval male names from England and France
“Brave ruler; Germanic ric, power, and hard, brave”
From Names that mean strong, boy names that mean strong
“Brave ruler; Germanic, borne by the Lionheart king”
From Strong boy names, boy names that mean brave or bold
How popular is Richard?
- US rank in 2025
- #234
- 1,505 babies, 881 per million boys
- Best rank
- #5 in 1930
- Most babies: 58,870 in 1946
- Babies since 1880
- At least 2,577,552
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 6,399 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6,637 per million |
| 1900s | 7,863 per million |
| 1910s | 11,176 per million |
| 1920s | 20,201 per million |
| 1930s | 31,278 per million |
| 1940s | 32,074 per million |
| 1950s | 26,486 per million |
| 1960s | 19,411 per million |
| 1970s | 12,279 per million |
| 1980s | 8,383 per million |
| 1990s | 4,870 per million |
| 2000s | 2,434 per million |
| 2010s | 1,422 per million |
| 2020s | 964 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160 | #175 | #187 | #197 | #208 | #216 | #219 | #222 | #233 | #234 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Richard
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Rickcommon English nickname
- Richcommon English nickname
- Rickycommon English nickname
- Richiecommon English nickname
Other forms of Richard
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- RicardoBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- RiccardoBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- RisteárdBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- RyszardBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
Names spelled like Richard
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ReinhardBrave counsel (Germanic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- ErikEternal ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- AndreaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- BahadurBrave, valiant (Turkic, boy)
- BernadetteBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Richard
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Germanic
- HugoHeart, mind (Germanic, boy)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- ArmandoArmy man (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoEagle (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoldEagle power (Germanic, boy)
- BaldwinBold friend (Germanic, boy)
Richard: common questions
What does the name Richard mean?
Richard comes from Germanic and means "brave ruler".
Is Richard a boy or girl name?
Richard is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Richard?
Common nicknames for Richard include Rick, Rich, Ricky and Richie.
How popular is the name Richard?
Richard ranked #234 in the US in 2025, with 1,505 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Richard?
Forms of Richard with the same meaning and origin include Ricardo (Spanish), Riccardo (Italian), Risteárd (Irish) and Ryszard (Polish).
What middle names go with Richard?
Middle names that flow well with Richard include Elton, Glenn, Jude, Lee and Levi. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.