Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic *rīk- 'ruler, leader, king' and *hardu- 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", "Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more.
Richard is a common English (the name was introduced into England by the Normans), German and French male name. It's also used in many more languages, particularly Germanic, such as Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Dutch, as well as other languages including Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Finnish. Richard is cognate with variants of the name in other European languages, such as the Swedish "Rickard", the Spanish "Ricardo" and the Italian "Riccardo", among others (see comprehensive variant list below).
People named Richard
Multiple people with the same name
Richard Andersen (disambiguation) Richard Anderson (disambiguation) Richard Cartwright (disambiguation) Richard Chase (disambiguation) Richard Green (disambiguation) Richard Greene (disambiguation) Richard Griffith (disambiguation) Richard Griffiths (disambiguation) Richard Marks (disambiguation) Richard Rodgers (disambiguation) Richard Rogers (disambiguation) Richard Walsh (disambiguation) Richard Welch (disambiguation) Richard Wilkins (disambiguation) Richard Wilson (disambiguation) Richard Worley (disambiguation)
Rulers and heads of state
Richard, Duke of Burgundy (858–921) Richard I of Normandy (933–996), Duke of Normandy Richard II, Duke of Normandy (died 1026), son of Richard I of Normandy Richard I of Capua (died 1078), King of Capua and Count of Aversa Richard I of England or Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199) Richard of Cornwall (1209–1272), 1st Earl of Cornwall, elected King of Germany Richard II of England (1367–1400) Richard III of England (1452–1485) Richard Cromwell (1626–1712), son and successor of Oliver Cromwell, Protector of England
Aristocrats and non-ruling royals
Richard, Count of Évreux (died 1067), a Norman aristocrat
Richard, Count of Molise (died c. 1170), a Norman nobleman
Richard, Count of Acerra (died 1196), an Italo-Norman nobleman
Richard fitz Gilbert (before 1035 – c. 1090), Norman lord involved in the conquest of England Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester (1222–1262) Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (1259–1326) Richard Orsini (died 1304), Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos, Count of Gravina, Bailli of Achaea Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400–1460), Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (1411–1460), a principal participant in the Wars of the Roses Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), wealthy English magnate and major protagonist in the Wars of the Roses Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473 – c. 1483), who would have been King Richard IV of England if he had lived Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694–1753), instrumental in the revival of Palladian architecture Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797–1861), noted for squandering his great wealth Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823–1889), British soldier, politician and administrator Prince Richard von Metternich (1829–1895), Austrian diplomat Richard, 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1882–1925), in present-day Germany Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1934–2017), German-Swedish aristocrat and landowner, husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (born 1944), British royal