Boys' name · since 1888
Ricardo
Ricardo has 146,456 recorded births since 1888 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #234 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #380 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 146,456
- born since 1888
- 1990s
- peak decade
146,456 babies have been named Ricardo since 1888, making it today's #380 boys' name.
Ricardo has 146,456 recorded births among boys since 1888, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #380 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.
- #234 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #380 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 146,456 born since 1888
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ricardo ranks #234 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #380 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 146,456 born since 1888, peaking in the 1990s.
- #234 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #380 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 146,456
- born since 1888
- 1990s
- peak decade
Ricardo's 146,456 recorded births place it above 99.48% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ricardo compares
146,456 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ricardo's all-time total is 397x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ricardo | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 146,456 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,044 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ricardo's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Ricardo's SSA record in two at 1963 and the more recent half accounts for 86% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 14%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1901, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 3,044, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Ricardo popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 3,044
- Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
Ricardo popularity over time - girls
713 total births recorded since 1942 (Ricardo as girls' name)
Ricardo by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (29,311 births, 20% of the file).
1990s was Ricardo's strongest decade.
29,311 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Ricardo births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6
1880s
6 births
- 1890s 7
1890s
7 births
- 1900s 61
1900s
61 births
- 1910s 330
1910s
330 births
- 1920s 1,168
1920s
1,168 births
- 1930s 1,789
1930s
1,789 births
- 1940s 3,044
1940s
3,044 births
- 1950s 10,318
1950s
10,318 births
- 1960s
1960s
13,149 births
- 1970s
1970s
17,657 births
- 1980s
1980s
23,089 births
- 1990s
1990s
29,311 births
- 2000s
2000s
27,190 births
- 2010s
2010s
13,928 births
- 2020s 5,409
2020s
5,409 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 29,311 births (20% of all-time use).
How Ricardo compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ricardo's total volume
Ricardo by state
Where Ricardo concentrates geographically, total births since 1888
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 43,567 | 29.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 37,583 | 25.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 8,860 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 7,637 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Florida | | 6,196 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 4,918 | 3.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 2,739 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 2,403 | 1.6% |
43,567 of 146,456 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Ricardo appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Ricardo's data
- Ricardo's decade-level peak was the 1990s (29,311 total births); usage has since declined to 5,409 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Ricardos (43,567 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ricardo
Nearby Names Like Ricardo
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ricardo
Compare Ricardo side by side: Ricardo vs Richard Ricardo vs Ricky Ricardo vs Rick
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ricardo
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ricardo: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~137 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1888–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ricardo draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.