Richardson
A surname derived from the English words "rich" and "son", originally denoting the son of a wealthy person.
Name Census estimates that about 563 living Americans carry the first name Richardson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Richardson today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Richardson births was 2000 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Richardson. 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
563
~ 1 in 608,800 Americans
Peak year
2000
16 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,721
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Richardson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Richardson from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 119 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Richardson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Richardson 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 Richardson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Richardsons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Richardson
The name Richardson is of English origin and is derived from the combination of the common English surname "Richard" and the suffix "-son," which means "son of." The name essentially means "son of Richard," with Richard itself originating from the Germanic name "Richardt" or "Ricard," which is composed of the elements "ric" (meaning ruler or power) and "hard" (meaning hardy or brave).
The earliest recorded use of the name Richardson dates back to the late 12th century, when it appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in England. At that time, it was primarily used as a surname to identify the son of a person named Richard. Over time, however, it evolved into a given name in its own right.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Richardson was Sir Ralph Richardson (c. 1510-1583), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another early historical figure was Jonathan Richardson (1665-1745), an English artist, writer, and theorist who was influential in the development of English portraiture.
In the literary world, the name is associated with Samuel Richardson (1689-1761), an English novelist who is considered one of the pioneers of the modern novel with his works "Pamela" and "Clarissa." Another notable literary figure was Dorothy Richardson (1873-1957), an English novelist and pioneer of the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique.
In more recent history, the name has been borne by several prominent individuals, including Sir Ralph David Richardson (1902-1983), a renowned English actor who received Academy Award nominations for his roles in films such as "The Heiress" and "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes." Additionally, there was Terry Richardson (born 1965), an American fashion photographer known for his controversial and provocative work.
Other notable individuals with the name Richardson include Bill Richardson (born 1947), an American politician who served as the Governor of New Mexico and the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and Joely Richardson (born 1965), an English actress known for her roles in films such as "Nip/Tuck" and "The Patriot."
People
Richardson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Richardson 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
Richardson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Richardson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 563 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Richardson 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 608,800 US residents.
Is Richardson a common name?
We classify Richardson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 659 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Richardson most popular?
The single biggest year for Richardson was 2000, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Richardson is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Richardson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Richardson 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.