The first name Richard

Discover the meaning and origin of the first name Richard, its history and its evolution in baptism records preserved in Genealogy Quebec’s collections.

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About the first name Richard

Meaning

The name Richard traditionally means “powerful ruler” or “strong in rule”.

Historical origin

The name Richard comes from Germanic Ricohard, formed from ric “power” and hard “strong, brave”.

Did you know?

The long history of Richard among European dynasties helps explain its durable place in French and French-Canadian families.

Pronunciation:ri-chardʁiʃ.aʁ

Frequency of the first name Richard by baptism year

The chart below shows the frequency of the first name Richard by the year of baptisms listed in Genealogy Quebec’s data. It highlights the periods when this first name appears most often and its evolution across generations.

847total mentions

Annual evolution of the first name RichardLine chart showing the frequency of the first name Richard in baptisms by year.10075502501645171517851855192519951645–1649 3 baptisms1660–1664 2 baptisms1680–1684 2 baptisms1715–1719 1 baptisms1725–1729 1 baptisms1740–1744 1 baptisms1770–1774 1 baptisms1780–1784 3 baptisms1785–1789 3 baptisms1790–1794 1 baptisms1795–1799 5 baptisms1800–1804 3 baptisms1805–1809 3 baptisms1810–1814 2 baptisms1815–1819 7 baptisms1820–1824 8 baptisms1825–1829 11 baptisms1830–1834 28 baptisms1835–1839 33 baptisms1840–1844 52 baptisms1845–1849 43 baptisms1850–1854 45 baptisms1855–1859 39 baptisms1860–1864 59 baptisms1865–1869 36 baptisms1870–1874 29 baptisms1875–1879 21 baptisms1880–1884 13 baptisms1885–1889 9 baptisms1890–1894 3 baptisms1895–1899 2 baptisms1900–1904 10 baptisms1905–1909 11 baptisms1910–1914 11 baptisms1915–1919 8 baptisms1920–1924 9 baptisms1925–1929 11 baptisms1930–1934 11 baptisms1935–1939 14 baptisms1940–1944 19 baptisms1945–1949 50 baptisms1950–1954 60 baptisms1955–1959 49 baptisms1960–1964 36 baptisms1965–1969 22 baptisms1970–1974 19 baptisms1975–1979 11 baptisms1980–1984 16 baptisms1985–1989 4 baptisms1990–1994 6 baptisms1995–1999 1 baptisms

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