Rico
Rico is a diminutive of either the Spanish masculine given name Federico or Ricardo, or of the Italian given name Enrico. Rico can also be a nickname or a surname. Notable people with the name include:
- Spanish
- Italian
Meaning & Origin of Rico
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rico is a diminutive of either the Spanish masculine given name Federico or Ricardo, or of the Italian given name Enrico. Rico can also be a nickname or a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Italian
The Story of Rico
Rico first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1915, with 11 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1991: 319 births, good for #566 nationwide. About 20% of every Rico on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Rico ranks #1,778 for baby boys with 93 births, falling sharply (-25%). All told, over 10K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Rico
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Rico. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Rico
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rico 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 Rico
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About the name Rico
Rico is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Rico's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #436. Use the chart and map above to compare Rico's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- 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.