Boy · #237 in 2026

Richard

Name: Popularity of the name Richard in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Richard, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Richard is a masculine given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic *rīk- 'ruler, leader, king' and *hardu- 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", "Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more.

Current Rank

#237

Peak Rank

#5 (1946)

Total Babies

2.6M

5-Yr Trend

-21%

1886

First Year

2022

Last Year

1928

Peak Year

#482

Peak Rank

10K

Total Count

121

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Richard

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Richard

Richard first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 728 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1946, when 58,871 Richards were born — ranking #5 that year. As of 2026, Richard ranks #237 for baby boys with 1,492 births, falling sharply (-21%). In total, more than 2.6M Richards have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Richard

Phonetically similar names — useful when Richard is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Richer
Richards
Reared
Pritchard
Rickard
Prichard
Rivard
Ritard
Rikard
Rivered
Rogered
Rinard

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Richard

What does the name Richard mean?

How popular is Richard in 2026?

In 2026, Richard ranks #237 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,492 babies given the name that year.

When was Richard most popular?

Richard reached its peak popularity in 1946, ranking #5 that year with 58,871 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Richard most popular?

Richard has historically been most popular in Utah, California, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Richard.

Is Richard a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Richard is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Richard?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Richard include Joseph, Andrew, Daniel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Richard

Richard is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 2.6M births in the dataset. Richard's peak popularity came in 1946 when it ranked #5. Use the chart and map above to compare Richard's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.