 17th-century portrait of Richard the Lionheart, a 12th-century King of England | |
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈrɪtʃərd/ French: [ʁiʃaʁ] German: [ˈʁɪçaʁt] Czech: [ˈrɪxart] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Frankish |
| Meaning | 'strong in rule' |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Richy, Rich, Rick, Dick, Dicky, Dickie, Dicken, Reeks, Riccardo, Richie, Ritchie, Ricardo, Rico, Ricky, Rickie, Ritchy, Rickey, Rickard |
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'.[1][2] Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", "Dickie",[3] "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky",[1] and more.
Richard is a common English (the name was introduced into England by the Normans),[1] 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 Portuguese and Spanish "Ricardo" and the Italian "Riccardo". (see comprehensive variant list below).
- ^ a b c Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Richard". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. Retrieved 23 February 2017.