Recardo
A name potentially derived from the Spanish name Ricardo, meaning "brave power" or "powerful ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 620 living Americans carry the first name Recardo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Recardo today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Recardo births was 1979 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Recardo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
620
~ 1 in 552,830 Americans
Peak year
1979
25 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,746
Tracked since 1943
Popularity
Recardo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Recardo from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 159 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Recardo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Recardo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Recardos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Recardo
The given name Recardo is believed to have originated from the Spanish language, derived from the Germanic name Ricardo, which itself is a compound of the Germanic elements ric (meaning "ruler" or "power") and hard (meaning "brave" or "hardy"). It is a variant spelling of the more common name Ricardo.
The name Ricardo gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Spain and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It was often associated with nobility and power, reflecting the meaning of its root elements. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 9th century, when it was borne by several prominent figures in the region.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Recared I, a Visigothic King of Hispania (modern-day Spain and Portugal) who ruled from 586 to 601 AD. He is credited with converting the Visigothic Kingdom to Catholicism and establishing religious unity in the region.
Another historical figure with the name Recardo was Recared II, a Visigothic King of Hispania who reigned from 621 to 622 AD. His brief reign was marked by conflicts with the Byzantine Empire and internal struggles within the kingdom.
In the 11th century, a prominent figure named Recardo Gutiérrez was a powerful nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign by Christian kingdoms to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.
During the Renaissance period, Recardo di Montelupo (1512-1572) was an Italian sculptor and architect who worked in Florence and is known for his contributions to the Palazzo Vecchio and other notable buildings in the city.
Another notable bearer of the name was Recardo Álvarez (1862-1929), a Spanish politician and journalist who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to 1924 during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship.
While the name Recardo is not as common as its more widely used variant Ricardo, it has been borne by several individuals throughout history, often associated with positions of power, nobility, and cultural significance, reflecting the meaning of its Germanic roots.
People
Recardo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Recardo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Recardo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Recardo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 620 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Recardo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 552,830 US residents.
Is Recardo a common name?
We classify Recardo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 670 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Recardo most popular?
The single biggest year for Recardo was 1979, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Recardo is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Recardo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Recardo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.