Richard
A Germanic name meaning "brave ruler", the same root behind Polish Ryszard. Fewer than 2,000 Polish men carry it, and boys almost never get it now, so most Poles have never met one.
Richard Pronunciation
Richard is pronounced REE-khahrt (/ˈrixart/).
What Richard means
Where Richard comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Richard grew from two Germanic roots: ric, meaning ruler or power, and hard, meaning brave and strong. Put together they give the short meaning that follows the name still, brave ruler, odważny władca in Polish.
The name spread through England and the German lands. Richard I of England, king in the twelfth century, earned the byname Cœur de Lion, the Lionheart, and turned the name into a badge of martial courage. In Germany the composer Richard Wagner carried it into the concert hall. Two cultures, one name.
Polish took it in and reshaped it. A school register might list a Ryszard, the formal variant, while his classmates call him Rysiek. That short form does the daily work, warm and quick. The full name keeps its old promise: a ruler who is brave.
How many people are named Richard
1 in 12226 men in Poland is named Richard. 1,746 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #745 among male names.
Richard's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been falling steadily since 2000.
Where Richard is most popular
Richard is most popular in West Pomeranian, 491% above the national average (3 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Łódź (+162%) and Masovian (+88%).
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West Pomeranian3 boys born+491%
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Łódź2 boys born+162%
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Masovian4 boys born+88%
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Greater Poland2 boys born+54%
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Silesian2 boys born+46%
Richard as a middle name
Richard is a first name for 1,746 men in Poland and a middle name for another 1,406, a 55/45 split, almost evenly. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 196th, between Jeremi (1,424) and Antonio (1,401).
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#194 Andrew1,447
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#195 Jeremi1,424
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#196 Richard1,406
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#197 Antonio1,401
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#198 Arnold1,388