Riddick
A masculine name derived from the Old English name Ridrick, meaning powerful ruler.
Name Census estimates that about 635 living Americans carry the first name Riddick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Riddick today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riddick births was 2016 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riddick. 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
635
~ 1 in 539,771 Americans
Peak year
2016
52 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,723
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Riddick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Riddick from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 348 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Riddick 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 Riddick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Riddicks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Illinois, Indiana recorded the most babies named Riddick, while Missouri, Indiana, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Riddick
The given name Riddick is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with its roots traced back to the 7th or 8th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Germanic words "rid" and "ric," which together mean "powerful counselor" or "mighty ruler."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riddick can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals documenting the history of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. The Chronicle mentions a figure named Riddick who served as an advisor to King Coenred of Mercia in the early 8th century.
In the 11th century, the name Riddick appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists several individuals bearing the name, indicating its prevalence among the Anglo-Saxon population at the time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Riddick. One of the earliest was Riddick of Gloucester (c. 1120 - 1193), an English cleric who served as the Archdeacon of Gloucester and played a significant role in the construction of Gloucester Cathedral.
Another prominent figure was Sir Riddick de Stapleton (c. 1285 - 1344), an English knight and landowner who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence alongside Edward III. He was awarded lands in Yorkshire for his service to the crown.
In the 16th century, Riddick Dudley (c. 1535 - 1588) was a notable English sailor and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580. He later became a wealthy merchant and philanthropist in London.
During the English Civil War, Colonel Riddick Whalley (1615 - 1675) was a prominent military commander who fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I. He later served as a judge during the trial and execution of the monarch.
In more recent times, Riddick Bowe (born 1967) is an American former professional boxer who held the undisputed heavyweight championship title in the early 1990s. He was known for his powerful punching and aggressive fighting style in the ring.
People
Riddick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riddick 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
Riddick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riddick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 635 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riddick 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 539,771 US residents.
Is Riddick a common name?
We classify Riddick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 645 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riddick most popular?
The single biggest year for Riddick was 2016, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riddick is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Riddick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riddick 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.