Rico
A masculine Spanish name of Germanic origin meaning "powerful ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 9,334 living Americans carry the first name Rico. It is a predominantly male name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Rico today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rico births was 1976 (327 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rico. 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
9.3K
~ 1 in 36,721 Americans
Peak year
1976
327 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,700
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Rico
Out of the 9,880 babies given the name Rico since 1880, 99.5% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Rico as a male name
- Ranked #1,700 in 2024
- 98 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1991 (319 births)
Rico as a female name
- Ranked #7,588 in 1986
- 9 female births in 1986
- Peak: 1975 (10 births)
Popularity
Rico: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rico from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 2,085 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
Rico 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 Rico during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ricos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 33 states and territories. California, Georgia, Texas recorded the most babies named Rico, while Nevada, Kansas, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 205 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rico
The name Rico is a diminutive form of the Spanish name Enrique, which is derived from the Germanic name Heimrich. Heimrich is composed of the elements "heim," meaning "home," and "ric," meaning "power" or "ruler." The name Enrique was introduced to Spain by the Visigoths and eventually evolved into the modern form of Rico.
Rico has its origins in the medieval period, during the time of the Reconquista in Spain. The name was likely used as a nickname or shortened version of Enrique among the Spanish nobility and military leaders who fought against the Moors during this period. It may have been a way to distinguish between different individuals with the same name or to convey a sense of familiarity or affection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rico can be found in the 13th-century Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which tells the story of the Castilian hero El Cid. In this work, Rico is mentioned as the name of one of El Cid's companions, suggesting that the name was in use during this time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rico. One example is Rico da Montechiaro (c. 1330-1390), an Italian lawyer and statesman who served as a diplomat and advisor to King Robert of Naples. Another is Rico Basso (1492-1579), an Italian painter and architect active during the Renaissance.
In the realm of exploration and discovery, Rico el Viejo (1460-1529) was a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. He later became the first European to set foot on the mainland of South America.
In more recent times, Rico Lebrun (1900-1964) was a American painter and sculptor known for his murals and sculptures depicting the human figure. Rico Constantino (1919-2005) was a Filipino businessman and politician who served as a senator and played a prominent role in the opposition against the Marcos regime.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Rico. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Spain, the name has since spread to various parts of the world and has been borne by people from diverse backgrounds and professions.
People
Rico + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rico 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
Rico: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rico?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,334 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rico 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 36,721 US residents.
Is Rico a common name?
We classify Rico as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,880 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rico most popular?
The single biggest year for Rico was 1976, when 327 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rico is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rico a male name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Rico 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.