Richard Family History

Richard Surname Meaning

English, French, West Indian (mainly Haiti), German, and Dutch: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements rīc ‘power(ful)’ + hard ‘hardy, brave, strong’. The Middle English forms were Richard and Rikard, respectively Parisian Old French and Old Picard pronunciations of the ancient Germanic name.

Middle English Rikard gives rise to the pet form Rick, whilst Richard has given the pet forms Richie and Rich. Both produced rhyming pet forms Dick and Hick for Rikard and Hitch for Richard.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Pickard, Guichard, Richer, Reichard, Richards, Reckard, Gothard, Bouchard, Rickard, Ricard

820K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
64K	Military Records
50K	Immigration Records
449K	Census and Voter Lists
1M	Member Trees

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Where is the Richard family from?

You can see how Richard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Richard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Richard families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1911 there were 4,451 Richard families living in Quebec. This was about 48% of all the recorded Richard's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Richard families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Richard surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Richard

What did your Richard ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Cultivateur and Servant were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Richard. 18% of Richard men worked as a Cultivateur and 10% of Richard women worked as a Servant. Some less common occupations for Americans named Richard were Labourer and Journalier.

View Census Data for Richard

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Cultivateur

18%

Farmer

14%

Journalier

11%

Labourer

Servant

10%

Servante

Couturire

Journalier

What Richard family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 449K census records available for the last name Richard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Richard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Richard

Passenger List

There are 50K immigration records available for the last name Richard. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Richard immigration records

Military Records

There are 64K military records available for the last name Richard. For the veterans among your Richard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Richard military records

You've only scratched the surface of Richard family history

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What is the average Richard lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Richard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Richard in 1941 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Richard family tree

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Richard Surname Meaning

Middle English Rikard gives rise to the pet form Rick, whilst Richard has given the pet forms Richie and Rich. Both produced rhyming pet forms Dick and Hick for Rikard and Hitch for Richard.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Richard family from?

What did your Richard ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Cultivateur

18%

Farmer

14%

Journalier

11%

Labourer

Servant

10%

Servante

Couturire

Journalier

What Richard family records will you find?

What is the average Richard lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Richard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Richard in 1941 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

Richard Family History

Richard Surname Meaning

2 million record(s) for Richard

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Richard family from?

What did your Richard ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Richard family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Richard family history

What is the average Richard lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Richard family tree

Search for another surname

Richard Surname Meaning

2 million record(s) for Richard

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Richard family from?

What did your Richard ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Richard family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Richard family history

What is the average Richard lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Richard family tree

Search for another surname