Richard is a Germanic name composed of ric, power or rule, and hard, brave or strong, and so means "brave ruler" or "powerful and strong". The Normans brought it to England, where Richard the Lionheart gave it royal prestige, and it was a top 10 American boys' name for much of the mid-20th century. Richard stood at number 65 in 2000, dipped to number 155 by 2015 and ranks number 234 in 2025.