Short form of Richard, from Germanic ric (power) and hard (strong); punchy and direct, it became a standalone name in mid-century America, shedding the formality of its root.
Nicknames
richard · ricky
Vibe
strongplayful
How it ages.
Peaked in mid-20th century America; feels solidly Baby Boomer, unlikely to revive as a given name.
The cultural moment.
Top 100 in the US from the 1940s through the 1970s; now used primarily by its existing generation.
Other Germanic-English names with similar texture: