Richard
Richard was given to 1,505 boys in 2025, #234 among boys’ names; 2,587,082 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1.41 million Americans named Richard and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (55% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 48 and 73.
Richard is the #12 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Richard by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Richard mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Richard is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the senses “king, ruler” (*rīks) and “hard, brave” (*harduz).
From Middle English Rycharde, from Old French Richard, from Medieval Latin Richardus, Ricohardus, from Frankish *Rīkahard, from Proto-Germanic *Rīkaharduz, a construction of *rīks (“king, ruler”) + *harduz (“hard, brave”). Cognate with Old High German Rīcohard (“Richard”). Partially related to rich. A hypothetical Old English equivalent *Rīċheard would also yield an identical “Richard” in Modern English, though it is unknown if the Old English equivalent existed.
/ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.ɚd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Richard?
#234 among boys’ names, 2025
Richard fell from #155 in 2015 to #234 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 1.4 to 0.88 per 1,000.
58,990 babies in 1946, the peak
Richard peaked in 1946, when 58,990 babies were given it (58,870 boys, #5 among boys’ names). The 1,505 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,505 | #234 | 0.88 |
| 2024 | 1,544 | #233 | 0.90 |
| 2023 | 1,645 | #222 | 1.0 |
| 2022 | 1,688 | #219 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | 1,783 | #216 | 1.0 |
| 2020 | 1,828 | #208 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | 1,990 | #197 | 1.1 |
| 2018 | 2,138 | #187 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | 2,286 | #175 | 1.2 |
| 2016 | 2,525 | #160 | 1.3 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,688 | #155 | 1.4 |
| 2014 | 2,888 | #141 | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 2,800 | #140 | 1.5 |
| 2012 | 3,029 | #123 | 1.6 |
| 2011 | 3,165 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 2010 | 3,238 | #125 | 1.7 |
| 2009 | 3,612 | #114 | 1.8 |
| 2008 | 4,060 | #108 | 2.0 |
| 2007 | 4,425 | #101 | 2.1 |
| 2006 | 4,469 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 2005 | 4,667 | #94 | 2.3 |
| 2004 | 4,848 | #92 | 2.4 |
| 2003 | 5,054 | #86 | 2.6 |
| 2002 | 5,322 | #77 | 2.7 |
| 2001 | 5,771 | #73 | 3.0 |
| 2000 | 6,354 | #65 | 3.2 |
| 1999 | 6,502 | #61 | 3.4 |
| 1998 | 6,954 | #56 | 3.6 |
| 1997 | 7,243 | #51 | 3.8 |
| 1996 | 8,182 | #45 | 4.3 |
| 1995 | 8,784 | #42 | 4.6 |
| 1994 | 9,516 | #41 | 4.9 |
| 1993 | 10,230 | #40 | 5.2 |
| 1992 | 11,332 | #41 | 5.7 |
| 1991 | 12,553 | #34 | 6.2 |
| 1990 | 13,580 | #35 | 6.6 |
| 1989 | 14,133 | #33 | 7.1 |
| 1988 | 14,144 | #32 | 7.4 |
| 1987 | 14,401 | #30 | 7.7 |
| 1986 | 15,014 | #29 | 8.2 |
| 1985 | 15,330 | #28 | 8.3 |
| 1984 | 15,607 | #27 | 8.6 |
| 1983 | 15,888 | #27 | 8.9 |
| 1982 | 16,717 | #27 | 9.2 |
| 1981 | 16,855 | #27 | 9.4 |
| 1980 | 16,656 | #26 | 9.3 |
| 1979 | 16,713 | #25 | 9.7 |
| 1978 | 16,734 | #21 | 10.2 |
| 1977 | 17,442 | #20 | 10.6 |
| 1976 | 16,752 | #19 | 10.7 |
| 1975 | 17,687 | #16 | 11.3 |
| 1974 | 18,636 | #17 | 11.9 |
| 1973 | 19,942 | #16 | 12.8 |
| 1972 | 22,302 | #14 | 13.8 |
| 1971 | 26,154 | #11 | 14.8 |
| 1970 | 30,442 | #10 | 16.4 |
| 1969 | 31,085 | #10 | 17.4 |
| 1968 | 32,976 | #8 | 19.0 |
| 1967 | 33,585 | #8 | 19.3 |
| 1966 | 34,457 | #8 | 19.3 |
| 1965 | 36,817 | #8 | 19.8 |
| 1964 | 40,098 | #8 | 20.1 |
| 1963 | 40,772 | #8 | 20.1 |
| 1962 | 39,422 | #8 | 19.1 |
| 1961 | 41,142 | #8 | 19.4 |
| 1960 | 43,553 | #8 | 20.4 |
| 1959 | 47,202 | #8 | 22.1 |
| 1958 | 50,007 | #8 | 23.6 |
| 1957 | 52,446 | #8 | 24.3 |
| 1956 | 52,915 | #7 | 25.0 |
| 1955 | 53,566 | #7 | 26.0 |
| 1954 | 57,042 | #7 | 28.0 |
| 1953 | 58,389 | #7 | 29.6 |
| 1952 | 58,350 | #7 | 30.0 |
| 1951 | 54,541 | #7 | 29.0 |
| 1950 | 51,003 | #7 | 28.5 |
| 1949 | 50,946 | #7 | 28.7 |
| 1948 | 50,970 | #7 | 29.0 |
| 1947 | 58,532 | #5 | 32.0 |
| 1946 | 58,870 | #5 | 36.2 |
| 1945 | 46,046 | #5 | 34.2 |
| 1944 | 45,643 | #5 | 33.5 |
| 1943 | 46,339 | #5 | 32.5 |
| 1942 | 43,593 | #5 | 31.6 |
| 1941 | 39,112 | #5 | 31.8 |
| 1940 | 37,425 | #5 | 32.3 |
| 1939 | 35,386 | #5 | 32.0 |
| 1938 | 34,385 | #5 | 31.0 |
| 1937 | 32,975 | #5 | 30.9 |
| 1936 | 33,494 | #5 | 32.3 |
| 1935 | 33,946 | #5 | 32.6 |
| 1934 | 33,167 | #5 | 32.1 |
| 1933 | 31,331 | #5 | 31.6 |
| 1932 | 31,809 | #5 | 30.5 |
| 1931 | 31,822 | #5 | 30.6 |
| 1930 | 32,187 | #5 | 29.3 |
| 1929 | 29,572 | #6 | 27.5 |
| 1928 | 28,793 | #6 | 26.0 |
| 1927 | 26,768 | #6 | 23.8 |
| 1926 | 25,143 | #7 | 22.6 |
| 1925 | 23,269 | #8 | 20.9 |
| 1924 | 21,244 | #8 | 18.8 |
| 1923 | 18,887 | #9 | 17.2 |
| 1922 | 17,537 | #9 | 16.1 |
| 1921 | 16,376 | #10 | 14.9 |
| 1920 | 15,010 | #10 | 14.1 |
| 1919 | 12,441 | #12 | 12.7 |
| 1918 | 12,323 | #12 | 12.2 |
| 1917 | 10,914 | #14 | 11.8 |
| 1916 | 10,134 | #15 | 11.4 |
| 1915 | 9,143 | #15 | 10.8 |
| 1914 | 6,669 | #17 | 10.2 |
| 1913 | 5,107 | #19 | 10.0 |
| 1912 | 4,188 | #19 | 9.7 |
| 1911 | 2,030 | #20 | 9.0 |
| 1910 | 1,654 | #21 | 8.5 |
| 1909 | 1,427 | #21 | 8.7 |
| 1908 | 1,244 | #23 | 8.1 |
| 1907 | 1,235 | #22 | 8.4 |
| 1906 | 1,084 | #23 | 8.1 |
| 1905 | 1,033 | #22 | 7.8 |
| 1904 | 957 | #24 | 7.5 |
| 1903 | 862 | #26 | 7.2 |
| 1902 | 908 | #26 | 7.4 |
| 1901 | 784 | #26 | 7.4 |
| 1900 | 1,141 | #24 | 7.6 |
| 1899 | 744 | #28 | 7.0 |
| 1898 | 871 | #26 | 7.1 |
| 1897 | 702 | #31 | 6.2 |
| 1896 | 834 | #26 | 7.0 |
| 1895 | 727 | #31 | 6.2 |
| 1894 | 808 | #25 | 7.0 |
| 1893 | 732 | #26 | 6.5 |
| 1892 | 802 | #27 | 6.6 |
| 1891 | 609 | #27 | 6.0 |
| 1890 | 743 | #25 | 6.7 |
| 1889 | 711 | #24 | 6.4 |
| 1888 | 772 | #26 | 6.4 |
| 1887 | 622 | #25 | 6.1 |
| 1886 | 720 | #23 | 6.5 |
| 1885 | 672 | #26 | 6.2 |
| 1884 | 749 | #23 | 6.5 |
| 1883 | 649 | #21 | 6.2 |
| 1882 | 746 | #22 | 6.6 |
| 1881 | 641 | #22 | 6.4 |
| 1880 | 728 | #23 | 6.6 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Richard a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Richard has been given almost only to boys: 9,530 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Richard: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Richard, and how old are they?
1.41 million alive in 2026, estimated
That is 55% of the 2,587,082 Americans ever recorded as Richard. The median Richard alive today is 63 years old; half are between 48 and 73.
The 2020 Census counted 1,575,998 people named Richard (1,398 women and girls, 1,574,600 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,616,662 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 139,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 626,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 341,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 202,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 77,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 27,100 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Richard born?
The states with the most babies named Richard are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 27% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 265,549 | #207 | 1.2× |
| California | 226,556 | #216 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 186,551 | #208 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 157,231 | #235 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 150,972 | #274 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 119,617 | #304 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 112,357 | #243 | 0.7× |
| Massachusetts | 109,804 | #255 | 1.4× |
| New Jersey | 89,718 | #203 | 1.2× |
| Indiana | 68,418 | #365 | 1.0× |
Where Richard is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Richard is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Richard with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 2,587,723 babies since 1880, Richard is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,505 of their 1,505 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Richard
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Richard and names like it
- Compare Richard and RichrdBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sRichard peaked in 1946.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Richard since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Richard: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1946The year the most babies were named Richard.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Richard alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with RMost given first.