Ricardo
First Name Meaning, Usage, Popularity & Related Names
Ricardo is a Germanic name meaning “brave ruler”. It is a common name, overwhelmingly used for boys, with 99.84% male usage.
Meaning & Origin of the name Ricardo
Ricardo is a name of Germanic origin, functioning as the Portuguese and Spanish equivalent of Richard. It combines the elements ric, meaning power or rule, with hard, signifying brave or hardy. The resulting meaning signifies a powerful or brave ruler, a name widely adopted across Iberian cultures throughout history.
Meaning Comments
- Pack4muleska: Means "Ruler, King".
- Pwn_air_hex: Decent name that isn’t too overused, but not unheard of.
- Irving_rivas: Placing that concept aside I think Ricardo has that formal elegance which has the additional bonus of carrying, in my opinion, fine nicknames such as "Rick" or "Ricky". In short, one can never truly go wrong with a splendid name like Ricardo.
Gender Usage of the Name Ricardo
Overall Gender Classification Methodology
Ricardo is overwhelmingly used as a name for boys. Approximately 99.84% of recorded bearers are male. This classification is supported by extensive records and is considered highly reliable.
Popularity of the Name Ricardo
Note: Green bars show popularity (% of births); the violet line shows historical ranking. Data is based on official government birth records. Click any chart to view details by year and region.
Overall PopularityMethodology
Ricardo is listed under Common Boy Names worldwide. Its popularity is relatively consistent across the available regional markets.
| Region | Popularity | Birth Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Popular | 1 in every 2.1K births |
| United Kingdom | Common | 1 in every 8.1K births |
| Canada | Popular | 1 in every 15K births |
| Australia | Common | 1 in every 314K births |
Ranking OverviewMethodology
Ricardo ranked #729 on the Popular Boys’ Names Worldwide List (2025). It fell from #330 in 2024 — a drop of 399 places. Ricardo maintains a steady presence among commonly used names.
Historically, its best recorded position was #201 in 2001. Its lowest recorded position was #961 in 2022. Over the last 5 years (2020–2025) the name rose 133 places (from #862 to #729).
Name StyleMethodology
Ricardo is classified as Timeless Boy Names because it appears across 99% of recorded years, averages 1,297 births per year over its full timeline, and still averages 1,044 births per year recently.Characteristics of the Name Ricardo
Pronunciation & StructureMethodology
- Phonetic Source
- CMU
- Syllables
- 3 syllables — Three-Syllable Boy Names
- Length
- 7 letters — Long Boy Names
- Starts with
- R — Boy Names Starting with R
- Ends with
- o — Boy Names Ending in “o”
Name AestheticMethodology
Ricardo utilizes three syllables with a strong, emphatic second-syllable stress pattern. The name is most famously associated with Ricardo Montalbán, a prolific actor who projected consistent authority. This creates a Strong & Powerful aesthetic.
Middle Names For Ricardo
Middle names used with RicardoMethodology
Ricardo is most frequently used with these boy middle names: Ricardo Antonio · Ricardo Jose · Ricardo Andres · Ricardo Alberto · Ricardo JavierView all 324 boy middle names.
- Total 508 middle names used with Ricardo
- 22 girl middle names used with Ricardo
- 141 unisex middle names used with Ricardo
Middle name suggestions for RicardoMethodology
Based on observed first-middle-name pattern combinations, Ricardo is most frequently associated with boy middle names that have 2 syllables, Strong–Weak stress pattern, 5 letters, and a starting sound of “a”.
Examples: Ricardo Allen · Ricardo Allan · Ricardo Alvin · Ricardo Asher · Ricardo Anson. View all 74 suggested middle names.
Names Similar to Ricardo
Sound Like Ricardo Finder
Names with the exact same overall pronunciation and sound: Ricahrd · Rickard · Recardo · View all 9 names
Spelled Like Ricardo Finder
Names with similar spelling patterns and letter sequences: Riccardo
Same Starting Sound Finder
Names that begin with a similar phonetic sound: Robert · Richard · Ryan · View all Top 100 names
Rhymes With Ricardo Finder
Names that share similar ending sounds and rhymes: Joe · Leo · Antonio · View all Top 100 names
Same Rhythm & Syllables Finder
Names with matching syllable stress and pronunciation rhythm: Elijah · Nathaniel · Sebastian · View all Top 100 names
Dictionary & Etymology of “Ricardo”
Dictionary Meaning of "Ricardo"Methodology
A male given name from Portuguese or Spanish, equivalent to English Richard
A surname
An unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States; the name was apparently derived from Richard
More Info
How to Spell Ricardo in ASL
- R
- i
- c
- a
- r
- d
- o
Comments on the name Ricardo
Community CommentsShowing 5 of 9 comments
Goatstoaster
Said as Reh\Rih-car-doe.
Slender_sir2
Tony Ricardo Mantolas is an Indonesian Paralympic judoka who competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. Ricardo Ten Argilés (b. 1975) is a Spanish Paralympic cyclist who competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.
Vexedshrimp
Ricardo Milos ❤❤❤.
Sirgeoff1077
Ricardo Eugênio Boechat is a Brazilian journalist and announcer. He was present in the country's main newspapers, like O Globo, O Dia, O Estado de São Paulo and Jornal do Brasil, worked as news director. Now he is an anchor in radio programming on the news network BandNews FM from 7 am to 9 am Monday to Friday, and on the TV news show Jornal da Band. Winner of three Esso Journalism Awards, Boechat have a weekly column at revista IstoÉ. In 2002 he wrote the book Copacabana Place.
Zaqery_falls
Ricardo Arias Calderón was a Panamanian politician who served as First Vice President from 1989 to 1992. A Roman Catholic who studied at Yale and the Sorbonne, Arias returned to Panama in the 1960s to work for political reform. He went on to become the president of the Christian Democratic Party of Panama and a leading opponent of the military government of Manuel Noriega. In 1984, he ran as a candidate for Second Vice President on the ticket of three-time former president Arnulfo Arias, but they were defeated by pro-Noriega candidate Nicolás Ardito Barletta.