Richard

How to say it

/ˈrɪtʃ.ɚd/

What it means

Germanic rīc ('power, ruler') + hard ('brave, hardy'). Three medieval English kings, including Richard the Lionheart; Shakespeare's Richard III is the most-quoted villain in English drama.

Richard comes from the Germanic rīc ('power, rule') + hard ('brave, hardy, strong'). Three English kings were Richards: Richard I 'the Lionheart' (1189-1199, the Crusader king celebrated in Robin Hood legend), Richard II (1377-1399, the subject of Shakespeare's history play), and Richard III (1483-1485, the subject of another Shakespeare play and the most-quoted villain in English drama — 'My kingdom for a horse!'). His skeleton was discovered under a Leicester parking lot in 2012. The English Richard was steady for centuries and peaked in the 1940s; it's sliding now. Common shorts: Rick, Dick (the historical default, now dated), Richie, Rich.

Heads-up notes

• Nickname

  Rick is the dominant modern short. Dick was the historical default short (the rhyme pattern Rick → Dick is medieval) but now reads as either dated or unfortunate depending on the room. Richie and Rich are middle-ground.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Richard the Lionheart King Richard I of England, Crusader king, central to Robin Hood legend
• Richard Nixon 37th US president, Watergate
• Sir Richard Branson British entrepreneur, founder of Virgin Group

Spelling variants

• Ricardo
• Riccardo

Names with the same feeling

• William Resolute protector
• Henry Home ruler
• Edward Wealthy guardian
• Robert Bright fame
• George Farmer, earth-worker

See Richard from another angle