RICKARD
The surname Rickard originates from the English Isles and finds its earliest roots in Germanic language traditions.
It is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Richard. The name Richard is itself composed of the Germanic elements ric, meaning ‘power’ or ‘rule’, and hard, meaning ‘brave’ or ‘strong’. Consequently the surname Rickard carries the meaning ‘brave ruler’ or ‘strong king’ and denotes descent from an ancestor who bore the given name.
The introduction of the name into England is traditionally associated with the Norman Conquest of 1066, after which many Norman families adopted the name in its Anglo‑Norman form. The earliest surviving record of the surname is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, where a man named Adam Ricard appears in 1327, during the reign of King Edward the Second.
Variations of the surname reflect regional pronunciation and orthographic practices. Common forms include Rickard, Rickards, Richard, and Ricard. In the British Isles the ending -s is frequently used to indicate “son of”, as in Rickards.
Geographical distribution shows that Rickard is widespread across English‑speaking nations. In the United Kingdom it is frequently encountered in counties such as Merseyside, Lancashire and County Durham. In the United States the surname is most common in states including Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. In Australia it is noted particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, while in France it is found mainly in the regions of Loire‑Atlantique, Indre‑et‑Loire and Vienne.
Several notable individuals have borne the name. One prominent figure was Sir George Rickards, K.C.B. (1812‑1889), who served as a political economist, counsel to the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1851 to 1882, and held the post of Drummond Professor of Political Economy at Oxford University.
Today the surname Rickard remains in common use, both as a family name and occasionally as a given name. Its persistence reflects the enduring popularity of the original personal name and its association with strength and leadership in historical records and cultural memory.
Typical given names associated with the Rickard surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- Colin
- David
- John
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Dicks
- Dickison
- Dickeson
- Hitchcox
- Hitchins
- Ricard
- Richard
- Ricks
- Rickards
- Rixon
- Rix
- Ricards
- Ricardo
- Reckard
- Rackard
- Ricardson
- Ricarda
- Ricahrds
- Racord
- Raggart
- Raycord
- Reacord
- Recard
- Recardo
- Recarte
- Reckert
- Reckord
- Record
- Reighard
- Reikert
- Rekert
- Ricahrdson
- Ricart
- Ricarte
- Ricaud
- Ricaurte
- Riccard
- Riccardi
- Riccardo
- Richards
- Ricka
- Rickardson
- Rickardsson
- Rickart
- Rickcord
- Rickeard
- Ricker
- Rickerd
- Rickerds
- Rickerdson
- Rickers
- Rickert
- Rickhard
- Rickhards
- Rickward
- Rickword
- Rickyard
- Ricord
- Ricourt
- Riekert
- Rigard
- Rikard
- Riskard
- Rocard
- Rogard
- Rookard
- Ruckert
- Rueckert
- Ryckaert
- Rygaard
- Ricciardi
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Rickard in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 4,111 people named Rickard in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,264th most common surname in Britain. Around 63 in a million people in Britain are named Rickard.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Rickard
- Laurence Rickard - Actor, writer and comedian
- Louise Rickard - Rugby player
- John Rickard - Economist and civil servant (1940 to 2013)
- John Rickard - Australian academic
- William Thomas Rickard - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1828 to 1905)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.