Richard

This article is about the given name. For other uses, see Richard (disambiguation).

Richard

17th-century portrait of Richard the Lionheart, a 12th-century King of England
Pronunciation	/ˈrɪtʃərd/ French: [ʁiʃaʁ] German: [ˈʁiçaʁt] (Germany) or [ˈriçart] (Austria and Switzerland) Czech: [ˈrɪxart]
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Proto-Germanic
Meaning	powerful leader
Other names
Nickname(s)	Rich, Rick, Dick, Dickie, Riccardo, Riquix, Richie, Ricardo, Rico, Ricky, Rickey

The Germanic and Celtic first or given name Richard derives from German, French, and English "ric" (ruler, leader, king, powerful) and "hard" (strong, brave, hardy), and it therefore means "strong in rule". Nicknames include "Dick", "Dickie", "Rich", "Richie", "Rick", "Ricky", "Rickey", and others.

"Richard" is a common name in many Germanic languages, including English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Dutch. It can also be used as a French, Irish, Scottish, Finnish, or Estonian name.

People named Richard

Rulers and heads of state

• Richard, Duke of Burgundy (died 921)
• Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933-996)
• 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, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1209–1272), elected King of Germany
• Richard II of England (1367–1400)
• Richard III of England (1452–1485)
• Richard Cromwell (1626–1712), son of Oliver Cromwell, and his successor as Lord Protector of England (1658-1659)
• Richard Nixon (1913–1994), American politician, President of the United States (1969-1974) and Vice President (1953-1961)
• Richard von Weizsäcker (1920-2015), German politician, Governing Mayor of West Berlin (1981-1984) and President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1984-1994)

In politics and government

• Richard Acland (1906–1990), one of the founders of the British Common Wealth Party and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
• Richard Keith "Dick" Armey (born 1940), American politician, member U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1985-2003)
• Richard Armitage (born 1945), American government official, Deputy Secretary of State (2001-2005)
• Richard Bedford "R.B." Bennett (1870-1947), Canadian politician, Prime Minister of Canada (1930-1935).
• Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington (1612–1698), Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and a cavalier.
• Richard "Dick" Cheney (born 1941), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming (1979-1989), Secretary of Defense (1989-1993) and Vice President (2001-2009)
• Richard C. "Dick" Clark (born 1928), American politician, U.S. Senator from Iowa (1973-1979)
• Richard Court (born 1947), Australian politician, Premier of Western Australia (1993-2001)
• Richard J. Daley (1902–1976), American politician, Mayor of Chicago (1955-1976)
• Richard M. Daley (born 1942), American politician, Illinois state senator (1972-1980) and Mayor of Chicago (1989-2011)
• Richard Darman (1943-2008), American businessman and government official, White House Staff Secretary (1981-1985), Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (1985-1987) and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1989-1993)
• Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple (1711–1779), British politician and associate and brother-in-law of William Pitt
• Richard Hatfield (1931–1991), Canadian politician, Premier of New Brunswick (1970-1987)
• Richard McGarrah Helms (1913-2002), American government official, Director of Central Intelligence (1966-1973), U.S. Ambasador to Iran (1973-1977)
• Richard Johnson (judge) (born 1937), Irish jurist, President of the Irish High Court (2006-2009)
• Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh (1641–1712), Irish peer, and politician both in the Parliaments of England and Ireland
• Richard Mentor Johnson (1780–1850), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky (1807-1819 and 1829-1833), U.S. Senator from Kentucky (1819-1829) and Vice President (1837-1841)
• Richard "Dick" Lugar (born 1932), American politician, U.S. Senator from Indiana (1977-2011)
• Richard Perle (born 1941), American government official and foreign policy specialist, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs 1981-1987
• Richard Rush (1780–1859), American politician, U.S. Attorney General (1814-1817) and Secretary of the Treasury (1825-1829)
• Richard Seddon (1845-1906), New Zealand politician, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1893-1906)
• Richard Stockton (1764–1828), American politician, U.S. Senator from New Jersey (1796-1799), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1813-1815)
• Richard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh (born 1932), American politician, Governor of Pennsylvania (1979-1987) and U.S. Attorney General (1988-1991)
• Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842), Anglo-Irish Governor-General of India, Foreign Secretary in the British Cabinet and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, brother of the 1st Duke of Wellington
• Richard Wild (1912-1978), New Zealand jurist, Chief Justice of New Zealand (1966-1978)

Aristocrats and non-ruling royals

• 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 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, 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, 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, son of the illustrious diplomat Prince Klemens von Metternich
• Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1934), German-Swedish aristocrat and landowner, husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark
• Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (born 1944), British royal, grandson of King George V and 1st cousin of Queen Elizabeth II

Business people

• Richard L. Bloch (born 1929), American investor, real estate developer, banker, and philanthropist.
• Richard Branson (born 1950), British businessman and founder of the Virgin Group of companies
• Richard DeVos (born 1926), American businessman and co-founder of Amway
• Richard Jacobs (1925–2009), real estate businessman and owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team
• Richard Rawlings (born 1969), star of American television show Fast N' Loud, owner of Gas Monkey garage, Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill and Gas Monkey Live
• Richard Velazquez (born 1973), PepsiCo Executive and first automotive designer at Porsche AG (Germany) of Puerto Rican descent
• Richard Warren Sears (1863–1914), co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and considered a promotional genius

Religious figures

• Saint Richard (disambiguation)
• Richard Baxter (1615 – 1691) English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer.
• Richard of Dover (died 1184), Benedictine monk and Archbishop of Canterbury
• Richard Foxe (c. 1448 – 1528), Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, Lord Privy Seal, and founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
• Richard of Poitiers (died c. 1174), monk of the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, and author of historical works, treatises and poems.

In music

Composers

• Richard Dybeck (1811-1877), Swedish lyricist who wrote the national anthem of Sweden
• Richard Heuberger (1850-1924), Austrian composer of operas and operettas, music critic, and teacher
• Richard D. James (born 1971), British composer and electronic musician, records music as Aphex Twin, among other monikers.
• Richard Mohaupt (1904-1957), German-American composer and conductor
• Richard Strauss (1864–1949), German composer and conductor
• Richard Wagner (1813–1883), German composer, writer, conductor and theatre director
• Rich Batsford pianist, composer and singer songwriter

Singers and musicians

• Richard "Big Daddy Ritch" Anderson, lead vocalist for American red dirt metal band Texas Hippie Coalition
• Richard Ashcroft (born 1971), former singer with The Verve
• Richard Butler (born 1956), lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs
• Richard Carpenter (born 1946), one half of The Carpenters
• Richard Henshall (born 1984), main composer, guitarist and keyboardist of Haken (band)
• Richard Manuel (1943–1986), pianist and vocalist of The Band
• Richard Wayne Penniman, known as "Little Richard" (born 1932), American Rock and Roll singer
• Richard Kruspe (born 1967), lead guitarist of Rammstein
• Richard Starkey, known as "Ringo Starr" (born 1940), drummer of The Beatles
• Richard Tauber (1891-1948), Austrian tenor
• Richard Wright (1943–2008), keyboard player for Pink Floyd

Actors

• Richard Dean Anderson (born 1950), American actor
• Richard Armitage (born 1971), English actor
• Richard Attenborough (1923–2014), English actor, director, producer and entrepreneur
• Richard Ayoade (born 1977), English comedian, actor, writer and director
• Richard Belzer (born 1944), American actor, author, and stand-up comedian
• Richard Burbage (1568–1619), English actor and theatre owner
• Richard Burton (1925–1984), Welsh actor
• Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett, (born 1936), American television talk show host
• Richard Chamberlain (born 1934), American actor
• Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark (November 30, 1929 – April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality
• Richard Curtis (born 1956), British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters
• Richard Dreyfuss (born 1947), American actor
• Richard Gere (born 1949), American actor
• Richard Harris (1930–2002), Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer
• Richard Jaeckel (1926–1997), American actor
• Richard Kind (born 1956), American actor
• Richard Madden (born 1986), Scottish actor
• Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born 1946), American actor and comedian, known for the comedy duo Cheech & Chong
• Richard Pryor (1940–2005) an American stand-up comedian and actor
• Richard Roundtree (b. 1942), American actor
• Peter Sellers (1925–1980) Born Richard Henry Sellers, British actor
• Richard Schulefand (1923–1987), American actor and comedian professionally known as "Dick Shawn"
• Richard Simmons (1913–2003), American actor
• Richard Simmons (born 1948), American fitness personality and actor
• Richard Speight, Jr. (born Sept. 4, 1970), American actor
• Richard Thomas (born June 13, 1951), American actor
• Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925), is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer
• Richard Whiteley (1943-2005), Former Countdown host and UK TV personality

Explorers

• Richard R. Arnold (born 1963), American astronaut
• Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890), British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat
• Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), U.S. Navy rear admiral, aviator and explorer
• Richard Masters (aka William Marsters), English sailor, cooper, trader and explorer
• Richard "Dick" Rutkowski, diving medicine pioneer

Military figures

• Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (c. 1306 – 1376), English military leader
• Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel (1346–1397), English military commander
• Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1726–1799), British naval commander in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars
• Richard "Dick" Marcinko (born 1940), U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran
• Richard Myers (born 1942), U.S. Air Force general, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2000-2001) and Chairman (2001-2005)
• Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers (c. 1660 – 1712), soldier and noted rake
• Richard Taylor (1826–1879), American Civil War Confederate general
• Richard Udugama (1911-1995), 6th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army

In sports

• Richard "Dick" Attlesey (1929–1984), American hurdler
• Richard "Dick" Ault (1925–2007), American Olympian
• Richard "Rink" Babka (born 1936), American discus thrower
• Richard "Dick" Barber (1910–1983), American long jumper
• Richard Bleier, major league baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees
• Richard Chelimo (1972–2001), Kenyan long-distance runner
• Richard "Dick" Davis (born 1946), American football player
• Richard "Dick" Davis (born 1938), American football player
• Richard "Dick" Fencl (1910–1972), American football player
• Richard Freitag (born 1991), German ski jumper
• Richard Gasquet (born 1986), French tennis player
• Rich Houston (1945–1982), American football player
• Richard Johansson (1882-1952), Swedish figure skater, silver medalist at the 1908 Olympics
• Richard "Dick" Johnson (born 1945), Australian touring car driver & team owner
• Richard Jordan (American football) (born 1972), American football player
• Richard Kilty (born 1989), English sprinter
• Richard Kingi (born 1989), Australian-New Zealand Rugby Union player
• Richard Krajicek (born 1971), Dutch professional tennis player, Wimbledon winner in 1996
• Rick Lackman (1910–1990), American football player
• Richard Limo (born 1980), Kenyan long-distance runner
• Richard Mateelong (born 1983), Kenyan runner
• Richard Medlin (born 1987), American football player
• Richard Moguena (born 1986), Chadian basketball player
• Richard Nerurkar (born 1964), British long-distance runner
• Richard Newland (1713–1778), English cricketer
• Richard Petty (born 1937), former NASCAR driver
• Richard Sears (1861–1943), winner of seven consecutive U.S. tennis championships
• Richard Sherman (born 1988), Defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks
• Richard "Dick" Stanfel (1927–2015), American football player
• Rich Stotter (born 1945), American football player
• Richard "Dick" Schweidler (1914–2010), American football player
• Richard Swann (born 1991), American professional wrestler
• Richard "Dick" Tayler (born 1948), New Zealand long-distance runner
• Richard Thompson (born 1985), Trinidadian sprinter
• Richard Todd (born 1953), American football player in the NFL
• Richard Williams (born 1987), American basketball player
• Richard Witschge (born 1969), Dutch footballer who played as midfielder

Scientists

• Richard Lee Armstrong (1937-1991), American-Canadian geologist
• Richard Dawkins (born 1941), English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author
• Richard Feynman (1918–1988), American Nobel Prize-winning physicist
• Richard D. James (born 1952), American mechanician and materials scientist
• Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902), Austro-German baron, psychiatrist and author of the foundational work Psychopathia Sexualis.
• Richard Leakey (born 1944), politician, paleoanthropologist and conservationist
• Richard von Mises (1883-1953), Austrian-American scientist and mathematician, brother of Ludwig von Mises
• Richard Swedberg (born 1948), Swedish sociologist at Cornell University

Other

• Richard Armstrong (1903-1986), English author, recipient of the 1948 Carnegie medal for children's literature
• Richard Assman (born 1934), Canadian gas station owner who became famous as "Dick Assman"
• Richard Bergh (1858-1919), Swedish painter
• Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1894-1972), Austrian-Japanese count, founding president of the Paneuropean Union for 49 years.
• Richard Donner (born 1930), American film director and producer
• Richard Edlund (born 1940), American special effects cinematographer
• Richard Garriott (born 1961), British-American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut
• Richard von Hegener (1905–1981), German official, primary organizer of Action T4 Nazi euthanasia program
• Richard Helms (1842-1914), Australian naturalist
• Richard Hermann (1919-2010), Norwegian journalist, writer and radio personality
• Richard Hwan (born 1992), Hong Kong model-TV host based in the Philippines
• Richard Lester (born 1932), American film director based in the UK
• Richard Ling (born 1954), Shaw Foundation professor of Media Technology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
• Richard Lugner (born 1932), Austrian entrepreneur and Viennese society figure
• Richard Matt (1966–2015), American convicted murderer and prison escapee
• Richard Maury (1882–1950), American naturalized Argentine engineer
• Richard Oetker (born 1951), German businessman, CEO of Dr. Oetker since 2010
• Richard Scarry (1919-1994), American children's author and illustrator
• Richard Sorge (1895–1944), Soviet military intelligence officer
• Richard von Volkmann (1830-1889), prominent German surgeon and author of poetry and fiction
• Richard Williams (born 1933), Canadian-British animator
• Richard D. Zanuck (1934-2012), American film producer
• Richard de Zoysa (1958-1990), Sri Lankan journalist, author, human rights activist and actor, who was abducted and murdered on 18 February 1990.

Cognates/transliterations

In Altaic languages

• Azerbaijani: Riçard
• Japanese: リチャード (Richādo)
• Korean: 리처드
• Turkish: Reşad, Reşat, Rişar

In Indo-European languages

Germanic

• Afrikaans: Riekert, Ryk
• Dutch: Rijkert, Rikkert, Richard, Rick, Reichard
• Gothic: RekkareÞ (Reccared)
• Icelandic: Ríkharð, Ríkharður
• Low German: Ri(c)kert, Richard
• Scandinavian: Rickard, Richard, Rikard, Ríkarður

Romance

• Catalan and Occitan: Ricard
• French: Richard, pronounced as "ree-shar"
• Italian: Riccardo
• Latin: Richardus
• Portuguese and Spanish: Ricardo

Celtic

• Breton: Richarzh
• Cornish: Richard
• Irish: Risteárd, Riocard
• Scottish Gaelic: Ruiseart
• Welsh: Rhisiart

Slavic

• Belarussian: Рычард (Richard)
• Croatian: Rikard
• Czech: Richard
• Polish: Ryszard
• Russian: Ричард (Richard)
• Slovak: Richard
• Slovene: Rihard
• Ukrainian: Річард (Richard)

Other

• Armenian: Հռիքարտոս (Hṙikartós)
• Esperanto: Rikardo
• Greek: Ριχάρδος (Richárdos)
• Latvian: Ričards, Rihards
• Lithuanian: Ričardas
• Persian: ریچارد (Ritchard)

In Afroasiatic languages

• Arabic: ريتشارد (Rytshrd, Ritshrd, Rytshard, Ritshard)
• Hebrew: ריצ'רד (Richard)

In Uralic languages

• Finnish: Rikhard
• Hungarian: Richárd
• Saami: Rikkar
• Estonian: Richard

In Other languages

• Basque: Rikard
• Chinese: 理查德 (Lĭchádé)

Short forms

• Cornish: Hicca
• Czech: Ríša
• Dutch: Ries
• English: Rick, Rich, Dick, Dickie, Rik, Ric
• Estonian: Riho
• Esperanto: Rikĉjo
• Finnish: Riku
• Hungarian: Ricsi, Ricsike, Rics
• Icelandic: Rikki
• Latvian: Rič
• Lithuanian: Ryčka, Rytis
• Polish: Rysio, Rysiek, Ryś
• Portuguese: Rico, Ric
• Slovak: Rišo, Riško, Riči
• Spanish: Cayo (Guatemala)
• Greek: Στούκος (Stoúkos)

Pet forms

• English: Ricky, Rickie, Rikki, Richie, Richi, Richy, Rich, Hick, Dick, Dickie, Ritchie, Dickon

See also

• Richarda
• Richardis (given name)