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Good Nicknames for Richard & Why “Dick” Became a Common One

February 13, 2021 by Elise Xavier | Updated: February 13, 2021 - Leave a Comment

If you’re a Richard, or know a Richard and are looking for a good nickname to use that’s unique and not quite as regularly used as “Rich” and other common ones, I’m hoping you’ll find a recommendation that you like in this article.

Stumbled across this article thinking about nicknames for Richards, and know “Dick” is somehow a common one? Wonder why that nickname came to be such an often used one?

I’ve also included a section in this article on how that came to be, and why it actually isn’t as strange a story as you might think considering the alternate meaning for the nickname today.

Probably the most common nickname for “Richard” these days is “Rich” or “Richie” – or variants of the spelling like “Richy” or “Richey.”

I think these are probably the safest bet when it comes to giving a nickname to a Richard who you don’t personally know all that well, but who you don’t want to keep calling by his full name.

That being said, “Rich” and variants on this really common Richard nickname can get pretty boring very quickly, so it makes a lot of sense to look for alternatives when you’re trying to nickname a Rick that’s a good friend, a close relative, or you’re hoping to be on good terms with eventually if not now (say, if you’ve got a crush and are looking for a secret name to give the Richard you like).

My personal favourites vary a lot, but if I had to choose a few off this list I really like, they’d be Ricardo, Ricko, and Rusty.

Of those, Rusty is likely my absolute favourite because it’s very different, and thus unlikely to be used as a nickname for the Richard in your life as of yet, and it’s such a nice-sounding male nickname, in my books.

I’d love to know what your favourites are, if you have any.

If you’re a Richard – what do people typically call you? Do you have a nickname you’d prefer? A nickname you’ve never been called but would love to be called?

If you have a Richard in your life, what do you currently call him? Do you know of any other nicknames he goes by? Are there nicknames you like that you’d like to test out to see if he’ll like/to see if they’ll stick/will suit him?

Do you have any more recommendations for nicknames for Richards that didn’t make it to my list?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments below!

I’d be really curious to know what you think, and I’m sure everyone who stumbled across this article looking for recommendations would be grateful – even if you just listed your favourites, as it helps shine a light on the best options amidst the slew of others.

I’ll be outlining why “Dick” came to be a common nickname for “Richard” in the first section of this article, then I’ll be listing all the recommendations I have for nicknames for Richards that aren’t so common.

Hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for as far as nicknames for the Richard in your life goes, if that’s what you stumbled across here for.

Why “Dick” Is a Common Nickname for “Richard”

The reason the nicknames “Ric” and “Rich” as well as Richie” and even “Ricket” came to be commonly used for Richards is pretty obvious if you think about it.

People wrote everything by hand, and so, as with everyone looking for a good and useful shortcut, these shortened versions of the name Richard came about so they wouldn’t have to write out the whole shebang.

Daven Hiskey for Today I Found Out gives a good explanation of why this led to “Dick” being a common nickname for Richard:

Due to people having to write everything by hand, shortened versions of Richard were common, such as ‘Ric’ or ‘Rich’. This in turn gave rise to nicknames like ‘Richie’, ‘Rick’, and ‘Ricket’, among others.

People also used to like to use rhyming names; thus, someone who was nicknamed Rich might further be nicknamed Hitch. Thus, Richard -> Ric -> Rick gave rise to nicknames like Dick and Hick around the early 13th century.

So rhymes. Those darned rhyme-addicted nickname makers turned a Richard who was known as a Rick into a Hick or a Dick.

Pretty amusing, and so, so simple. But why on earth would anybody call a Richard something with a meaning so negative?

Wouldn’t people want to avoid giving their beloved Richards a nickname with terrible connotations? And wouldn’t the Richards themselves hate this?

Well apparently, those meanings may never have been around when the nickname “Dick” first originated:

While few today call Richards ‘Hick’, the nickname ‘Dick’ has stuck around, and of course has come to mean many other things as well. Its persistence as associated with Richard is probably in part because around the 16th century Dick started to be synonymous with ‘man’, ‘lad’, or ‘fellow’, sort of a general name for any ‘Tom, Dick, or Francis” (which by the way appears in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, written in the late 16th century, with Dick at this point firmly established as an “every man” name). It may well be that this association with ‘man’ is in turn how ‘dick’ eventually came to mean ‘penis’.

That’s right “Dick” as a nickname for “Richard” may have been the cause of the current, secondary contemporary meaning for the word “dick” – i.e. a penis.

Since it was such such a common name for men, it, as well as a few other common names like “Tom” and “Francis,” were seen as “every men” type of names. I assume, sort of how “John” is today.

And this “everyday man” association may have been what led to the term being used as slang for a penis, as it is today.

Maybe it also even led to the third meaning that’s typical for the word “dick” – idiot or asshole (“You’re such a dick!”). Or maybe one thing led to another, then to another.

Interesting to think about!

Know anything else about the origin of the nickname “Dick” as it relates to Richard, or really anything about the origin and use of the word in general? Do leave a comment down below to let me know!

Fun, Cool, Funny & Generally Good Nicknames for Richards

Variations & Unique Spellings of the Common Richard Nicknames “Rich” & “Rick”

If you or the Richard in your life happen to really like the name “Rich” or Rick, while simultaneously wanting something a little different/more quirky, there are quite a number of unique spelling and variants on these two nicknames that would definitely work.

Variants & Unique Spellings of the Nickname “Rich”

  • Richie
  • Ritchie
  • Richi
  • Richy
  • Richey

Variants & Unique Spellings of the Nickname “Rick”

  • Rik
  • Rickie
  • Ricki
  • Rikki
  • Ricky
  • Rickey

Good Nicknames for Richards That Start With the Letter “R” & Are Unique/Uncommon

  • Red
  • Rod
  • Rikhard
  • Ricard
  • Ricardo
  • Riccardo
  • Ricco
  • Ricko
  • Rico
  • Riley
  • Rock
  • Rocky
  • Rocko
  • Rory
  • Rickon
  • Rusty
  • Rio
  • RJ
  • Rory
  • Rikkir
  • Ritz
  • Ryk
  • Ryker
  • Riku

Good Richard Nicknames That Start with Other Letters

Nickname Options for Richards That Start With the Letter “A”

  • Ard
  • Ardie
  • Art
  • Artie
  • Archie

Nickname Options for Richards That Start With the Letter “C”

  • Chard
  • Card
  • Charlie
  • Chip
  • Chuck
  • Chad

Nickname Options for Richards That Start With the Letter “D”

  • Dicky
  • Dickey
  • Dickie
  • Dickon
  • Duck
  • Ducky
  • Duke
  • Dickard

Nickname Options for Richards That Start With the Letter “H”

  • Hardy
  • Harry
  • Hitch

Nickname Options for Richards That Start With Miscellaneous Other Letters

  • Kip
  • Pip
  • Skip
  • Tricky
  • Butch

Your Thoughts on Richard Nicknames?

Have you ever met a Richard that goes by the nickname “Dick”? How do they like this nickname?

Did you know the history behind the name and how it came to be? Did you suspect it might have been a nickname for Richard before it even came to be a synonym for “penis” and “asshole”?

What are your favourite nicknames for Richard?

If you’re a Richard yourself, what are the best nicknames you’ve ever been called? Which are some you absolutely hate? Are there any nicknames you wish you were called? Would you ever ask others to use those nicknames to refer to you?

If you know a Richard – which nicknames does the Richard in your life go by? What are some nicknames you like for Richards? Would you ever try these out on the Richard in your life and/or ask if he likes any of them for you to use in the future?

Would love to know your thoughts in the comments down below!

Filed Under: Names for People, Nicknames

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