Boy · #891 in 2026

Ricky

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

Ricky is a primarily male given name in English and Spanish-speaking countries, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Richard, Frederick, Derrick, Roderick, Enrique, Patrick, Ricardo, Erica or Eric.

Current Rank

#891

Peak Rank

#34 (1958)

Total Babies

223K

5-Yr Trend

-23%

1927

First Year

2024

Last Year

1959

Peak Year

#1174

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ricky

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 Ricky

Ricky first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1925, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1958, when 13,373 Rickys were born — ranking #34 that year. As of 2026, Ricky ranks #891 for baby boys with 266 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 223K Rickys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Ricky

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ricky 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 Ricky

What does the name Ricky mean?

How popular is Ricky in 2026?

In 2026, Ricky ranks #891 among boys' names in the U.S., with 266 babies given the name that year.

When was Ricky most popular?

Ricky reached its peak popularity in 1958, ranking #34 that year with 13,373 babies given the name.

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

Ricky has historically been most popular in Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ricky.

Is Ricky a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Ricky?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ricky include Stanley, Frederick, Franklin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Ricky

Ricky is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1925 and has accumulated 223K births in the dataset. Ricky's peak popularity came in 1958 when it ranked #34. Use the chart and map above to compare Ricky'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.