Richa
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 623 living Americans carry the first name Richa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Richa today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Richa births was 2007 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Richa. 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
623
~ 1 in 550,167 Americans
Peak year
2007
32 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,805
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Richa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Richa from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 257 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Richa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Richa 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 Richa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Richas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Richa
The name Richa has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language from the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "riccha," which means "desire" or "wish." The name likely emerged in ancient India, where Sanskrit was widely used as a scholarly and religious language.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Mahabharata, a renowned Indian epic dating back to around the 8th century BCE. In the text, Richa is mentioned as the name of a female character, though not much is known about her significance or role.
Throughout history, the name Richa has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Richa Mukherjee, an Indian author and journalist who lived from 1908 to 1998. She is known for her contributions to Bengali literature and her work in promoting women's rights and education.
Another prominent figure was Richa Sharma, a celebrated Indian classical dancer who lived from 1924 to 2003. She was a renowned exponent of the Kathak dance form and received numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
In the field of art, Richa Nath (born 1971) is a notable Indian contemporary artist known for her mixed-media installations and sculptures. Her work often explores themes of identity, memory, and the human experience.
Richa Chadha (born 1986) is a popular Indian actress who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and web series. She is known for her versatile performances and has won several awards for her acting abilities.
Richa Gangopadhyay (born 1984) is an Indian classical vocalist and a leading exponent of the Khyal style of Hindustani classical music. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, for her contributions to Indian classical music.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Richa throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of their respective regions.
People
Richa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Richa 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
Richa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Richa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 623 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Richa 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 550,167 US residents.
Is Richa a common name?
We classify Richa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 640 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Richa most popular?
The single biggest year for Richa was 2007, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Richa is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Richa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Richa in the SSA data are female. 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.