Rick (English)
Where does "Rick" come from?
The name Rick functions as a clipped, informal diminutive of the name Richard. Originally a Germanic name composed of elements meaning 'brave' and 'rule,' Richard gradually shortened over time into the familiar form used today.
Full etymology tree
- Rick (English), 'A diminutive of the male given name Richard, or sometimes of related names, such as Ricardo.'
- clipping Richard (English), 'A male given name from the Germanic languages.'
- inherited Rycharde (Middle English)
- borrowed Richard (Old French)
- inherited Richardus (Latin), 'a male given name, equivalent to English Richard'
- borrowed Rīkahard (Frankish)
- inherited *Rīkaharduz (Proto-Germanic), 'a male given name'
- compound *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
- compound *harduz (Proto-Germanic), 'hard'
- inherited *Rīkaharduz (Proto-Germanic), 'a male given name'
- borrowed Rīkahard (Frankish)
- inherited Richardus (Latin), 'a male given name, equivalent to English Richard'
- borrowed Richard (Old French)
- inherited Rycharde (Middle English)
- clipping Richard (English), 'A male given name from the Germanic languages.'
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris