Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. RICH-ərd(English) REE-SHAR(French) RI-khart(German, Czech) REE-khart(Slovak)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Means "brave ruler", derived from the Old German elements rih "ruler, king" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of three early dukes of Normandy. The Normans introduced it to England when they invaded in the 11th century, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.

During the late Middle Ages this name was typically among the five most common for English males (with John, William, Robert and Thomas). It remained fairly popular through to the modern era, peaking in the United States in the 1940s and in the United Kingom a bit later, and steadily declining since that time.

Famous bearers include two German opera composers, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and Richard Strauss (1864-1949), as well as British explorer Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890), American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994), American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), British actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) and American musician Little Richard (1932-2020).

Related Names

VariantsRickard, Rikard(Swedish) Rikard(Norwegian) Ricohard(Germanic)
DiminutivesDick, Rich, Richie, Rick, Rickey, Ricki, Rickie, Ricky, Ritchie(English) Riško, Rišo(Slovak)
Feminine FormsRichardine, Rikki(English) Ricarda(German)
Other Languages & CulturesRicard(Catalan) Rikhard, Riku(Finnish) Richárd, Rikárdó(Hungarian) Risteárd(Irish) Riccardo(Italian) Rihards, Ričards(Latvian) Ričardas(Lithuanian) Dicun, Hudde(Medieval English) Rīkaharduz(Old Germanic) Ryszard(Polish) Ricardo(Portuguese) Rihard(Slovene) Ricardo, Rico(Spanish) Rhisiart(Welsh)
Surname DescendantsRichard(Dutch) Richard, Richards, Richardson, Rickard(English) Richard(French) Richard(German)
Same SpellingRichárd

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   serious  

Name Days

Austria: February 7
Austria: April 3
Czechia: April 3
Denmark: February 7
Estonia: February 7
France: April 3
Slovakia: April 3

Images

Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf, by Gustave Doré (1875)Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf, by Gustave Doré (1875)

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Sources & References

  1. Förstemann, Ernst. Altdeutsches Namenbuch. Bonn, 1900, page 1264.
Entry updated December 7, 2022