Rickman
A diminutive form of the name Richard, derived from Old German meaning "powerful ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Rickman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rickman today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rickman births was 1948 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rickman. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Rickman is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rickmans were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rickman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1948
5 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1948 SSA rank
#4,085
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Rickman: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rickman 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 Rickman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rickman
The name Rickman is an English given name with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "ric," meaning powerful or wealthy, and "mann," meaning man. The earliest recorded use of Rickman as a first name can be traced back to the 13th century.
During the medieval period, the name Rickman was commonly used by members of the English nobility and gentry. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Rickman de Merley, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the Welsh Wars of the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, a cleric named Rickman Godwin served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1437 to 1443. He was renowned for his efforts in rebuilding and restoring several churches and cathedrals in the region.
The name Rickman also appears in the writings of the English playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "King Henry IV, Part 2," a character named Rickman is mentioned as a member of the rebel forces led by Sir John Oldcastle.
In the 18th century, Rickman Spence was a prominent English architect known for his work on several churches and country houses. He was born in 1720 and died in 1784.
Another notable figure with the first name Rickman was Rickman John Godlee, a British surgeon born in 1849. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 1900 to 1902.
While the name Rickman has been less commonly used in recent times, it remains a part of the English naming tradition, carrying with it a sense of strength, wealth, and historical significance.
People
Rickman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rickman 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
Rickman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rickman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rickman 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Rickman a common name?
We classify Rickman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rickman most popular?
The single biggest year for Rickman was 1948, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rickman is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rickman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rickman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rickman 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.
Is Rickman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rickman in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rickman can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Rickman?
Find out how many people share the name Rickman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.