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Richard - do you like it & why do you think it's waned?
Richard is a classic name that should be as timeless as William but it's plunged into comparative disfavour at the moment. Since it's always been a real favourite of mine - strong, historic, handsome - I'm wondering why. In America, perhaps "Tricky Dicky" Nixon had something to do with its downward slide but why has it slumped in England, where not even Richard III dampened its popularity previously.
Thoughts on Richard? Thanks.
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Richard in and of itself is a good strong name that reminds me simultaneously of Richard the Lionhearted and a kind great-uncle of mine. Richard the III was in many ways vilified by his political enemies, the Tudors,to give legitimacy to their reign. I think the biggest reason for its decline in popularity is the absence of a good nick name to modern ears. People can be so vulgar that Dick has been rendered unusable. Rich and Richie come across as weak sounding to many Americans. Rick is okay but uninspiring. Perhaps it will make a comeback like many old fashioned names.
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I like it too, and I don't have a clue why it's plummeted either. It was used in one branch of my family consistently for over 500 years, and now there are none, and I don't know of any under 30. Maybe it's just not a sound that currently appeals; Nicholas is following a similar curve, so maybe it's Rick and Nick?http://www.behindthename.com/top/name/richard,nicholas- although all of the Richards I know go by the full name or Rich. I wouldn't have thought that 'Rich' in times of Toryism would be seen as a negative nn, but maybe there's a nasty TV one I don't know about.
I think it could easily have a resurgence if there were a hot and/or popular media Richard, real or fictional.
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To me it is just way too boring. I have an uncle named Richard, so that is why I personally wouldn't use it.
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I quite like Richard - it's a strong name.Richard seems to have had a bit of a resurgence last century, now it's on its way down. It definitely seems dated now - a new baby Richard would seem a bit unusual.
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Meh. It was my uncle's name and it's my brother's middle name. I'm not overly fond of it, though I don't think it's terrible. I like the nickname Rick but hate the nickname Rich. Then there's Dick, which was what my uncle was called, but of course that's unusable these days. I don't think its slump has anything to do with Nixon. There are other classic male names that have slumped, Edward, George in the US, Henry slumped at one point although it's now coming back. Not all classic male names stay consistently popular, sometimes there's just something about one that loses appeal to the masses.

This message was edited 6/19/2015, 6:08 AM

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I personally think it is because (in the States) every other father or grandfather seems to be named Richard. I personally have a Grandfather named Richard on two sides, an Uncle with the name and my sister married a Richard. It might be classic to some, but it is strictly dated to others. Plus, the most popular nickname a couple of generations ago was Dick. That is totally unusable today. Sure, you can go by Rich or Richie, but I think people just see more appeal in other "classic" names. I happen to like the full name as a name in itself, but I know too many Richards that I am not fond of to actually consider the name IRL.
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I've never liked it. I think the sound of it is harsh and it makes me think of Nixon. Sounds like a boring businessman.
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I think Richard is just too formal. And most probably see it as old-fashioned.
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Nixon didn't help, but I suspect the problem lies with the slang use of dick, dickhead etc. All the Dick or Dickie people I've ever known are in their 70s by now, and all the other Richards have been Rick or Rickie or Richard, or else they've been German and used that pronunciation.I like Richard a lot. Couldn't use it - wrong ln - but it's one that I regret. I wouldn't shorten it to anything, but of course other people would. Same with Stephen, which I like much better than Steve.It always amazes me that someekc people still very occasionally name their sons Dickon.
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I really, really like Richard, precisely because of the reasons you mentioned with it being strong, historic, handsome. I live in England, and I'm not sure why it's slumped, although it's well within the top 500. I'm not sure at all so don't hold me to it, but I think people may be starting to think Richard sounds quite dated, both in full and it's most common nicknames (Rich/Richie, Rick/Ricky, Dick = pretty much unusable). A lot of the more popular classics sound almost youthful or have cool nns, so may feel less dated. E.g. William = Will, Liam, Christopher = Chris, Toph/Topher, Kit, James = Jim, Jimmy, Jamie etc. Especially here, nicknames are all the rage, even as full names. I have no idea if any of this is true, but I more see Richard as going into the vintage category, and I adore vintage names; the idea of say Richard and Francis as brothers is swoon worthy. But for me anyway, the less popular, the better.
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I like it. I think it's still very usable. I don't think Nixon has much to do with why it's out of fashion. It was already declining before his infamy. I think it's just the sound of it has become a little "old," and so have all the nicknames (not just Dick, but Rich and Rick). The frequency of Richard had a "bump" midcentury, while William has been more steady. I think William doesn't seem as dated partly because Liam was not used before, even though William was popular, so the whole name still seems fashionable. Also, Prince William keeps its image a little younger, and there aren't many Richards his age doing that. I can't think of any, anyway.
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