Ricardo
Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic *rīks 'king, ruler' + *harduz 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname.
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Ricardo
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic *rīks 'king, ruler' + *harduz 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Portuguese
The Story of Ricardo
Ricardo first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1888, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1998, when 3,044 Ricardos were born — ranking #125 that year. As of 2026, Ricardo ranks #385 for baby boys with 840 births, falling sharply (-17%). In total, more than 147K Ricardos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ricardo
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ricardo. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Ricardo
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ricardo is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ricardo
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About the name Ricardo
Ricardo is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1888 and has accumulated 147K births in the dataset. Ricardo's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #115. Use the chart and map above to compare Ricardo's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1998 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "R" →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.