# Richard

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.əd/ · frequency rank #1,703

## Definitions
1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.
2. A surname originating as a patronymic.

## Etymology
From Middle English Rycharde, from Old French Richard, from Medieval Latin Richardus and Ricohardus, from Frankish *Rīkahard, from Proto-Germanic *Rīkaharduz, a construction of *rīks (“king, ruler”) + *harduz (“hard, brave”). Cognate with Old High German Rīcohard (“Richard”). A hypothetical Old English equivalent *Rīċheard would also yield an identical "Richard" in Modern English, though it is unknown if the Old English equivalent existed.

## Easily confused with
- **richer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/richard-vs-richer)
- **Rickard** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/richard-vs-rickard)
- **Richards** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/richard-vs-richards)
- **Richland** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/richard-vs-richland)
- **Ricardo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ricardo-vs-richard)

## Common misspellings (11)
`irchard`, `rcihard`, `ricahrd`, `ricchard`, `richadr`, `richardd`, `richarrd`, `richhard`, `richrad`, `rihcard`, `rrichard`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/richard