NameCensus.

UK surname

Rickard

Derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (power) and "hard" (brave), referring to a powerful and brave ruler.

In the 1881 census there were 2,028 people recorded with the Rickard surname, ranking it #2,170 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,951, ranked #2,284, down from #2,170 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Agnes, London parishes and St Austell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Aylesbury Vale and Gwynedd.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rickard is 3,119 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.5%.

1881 census count

2,028

Ranked #2,170

Modern count

2,951

2016, ranked #2,284

Peak year

1999

3,119 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rickard had 2,028 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,170 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,951 in 2016, ranked #2,284.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,465 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rickard surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rickard surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rickard surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rickard over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,368 #2,096
1861 historical 989 #2,817
1881 historical 2,028 #2,170
1891 historical 1,791 #2,557
1901 historical 2,465 #2,213
1911 historical 2,185 #2,307
1997 modern 3,022 #2,135
1998 modern 3,101 #2,168
1999 modern 3,119 #2,172
2000 modern 3,087 #2,184
2001 modern 3,001 #2,196
2002 modern 3,065 #2,195
2003 modern 2,933 #2,239
2004 modern 2,923 #2,247
2005 modern 2,878 #2,251
2006 modern 2,877 #2,256
2007 modern 2,903 #2,254
2008 modern 2,914 #2,263
2009 modern 2,961 #2,288
2010 modern 3,029 #2,282
2011 modern 3,000 #2,278
2012 modern 2,916 #2,295
2013 modern 2,998 #2,272
2014 modern 3,036 #2,254
2015 modern 2,989 #2,264
2016 modern 2,951 #2,284

Geography

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Where Rickards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Agnes, London parishes, St Austell, Camborne and St Stephen in Brannel. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Aylesbury Vale and Gwynedd. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Agnes Cornwall
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Austell Cornwall
4 Camborne Cornwall
5 St Stephen in Brannel Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 009 Cornwall
2 Aylesbury Vale 007 Aylesbury Vale
3 Cornwall 030 Cornwall
4 Gwynedd 017 Gwynedd
5 Cornwall 019 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rickard

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rickard surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rickard

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rickard, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Rickard surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Rickard household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Rickard is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rickard is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rickard falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rickard is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rickard, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rickard

The surname Rickard originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English given name Richard, which itself is derived from the Germanic elements "ric" meaning powerful and "hard" meaning brave or hardy. The name gained prominence in England following the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Rickard can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record compiled during the reign of King Edward I. It lists individuals such as William Rickard and Robert Rickard residing in counties like Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire at that time. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, suggesting its spread across various parts of England by the early 14th century.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Rickard was Sir John Rickard (c.1480-1556), a prominent English politician and landowner from Buckinghamshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Wycombe during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the surname Rickard was also found in various spellings such as Rickerd, Rickerde, and Rickard. There are records of individuals like Thomas Rickarde, a landowner in the parish of Chetwode, Buckinghamshire, in the 1520s.

The Rickard surname has a strong association with the county of Buckinghamshire, where many families bearing this name were based for centuries. One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname is Rickards Hill, a location mentioned in historical records from the 16th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Rickard was Sir Andrew Rickard (1573-1638), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London during the early 17th century. He played a role in the establishment of the East India Company and was knighted by King James I in 1617.

In the 18th century, William Rickard (1700-1786) was a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex and wrote several works on theology and history.

The Rickard surname also has a connection to Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers during the Plantations of Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable Irish figure with this surname was Michael Rickard (1828-1900), a prominent Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Kilmore from 1888 until his death.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rickard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rickard surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cornwall leads with 762 Rickards recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.77x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 762 33.77x
Devon 226 5.45x
Buckinghamshire 188 15.60x
Middlesex 135 0.68x
Surrey 102 1.05x
Kent 91 1.34x
Lancashire 81 0.34x
Yorkshire 67 0.34x
Northumberland 40 1.35x
Hampshire 29 0.71x
Northamptonshire 26 1.39x
Cambridgeshire 24 1.90x
Derbyshire 23 0.74x
Essex 23 0.58x
Glamorgan 22 0.63x
Warwickshire 22 0.44x
Angus 21 1.14x
Durham 20 0.34x
Monmouthshire 17 1.18x
Bedfordshire 15 1.45x
Royal Navy 14 5.90x
Dorset 10 0.76x
Leicestershire 8 0.36x
Norfolk 8 0.26x
Shropshire 8 0.46x
Gloucestershire 7 0.18x
Somerset 7 0.22x
Hertfordshire 6 0.44x
Lincolnshire 6 0.19x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.22x
Denbighshire 5 0.66x
Berkshire 4 0.27x
Sussex 4 0.12x
Wiltshire 4 0.23x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.36x
Cumberland 3 0.17x
Suffolk 2 0.08x
Channel Islands 1 0.17x
Kincardineshire 1 0.41x
Rutland 1 0.68x
Staffordshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 83 Rickards recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.59x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 83 28.59x
Camborne 59 63.46x
St Austell 58 75.21x
St Stephen In Brannel 48 233.24x
Plymouth St Andrew 37 11.58x
Whitchurch 37 747.47x
Wingrave 34 549.27x
Calstock 30 67.80x
St Agnes 29 91.77x
Aylesbury 28 52.44x
St Columb Minor 27 142.56x
Camberwell 26 2.04x
Feock 26 184.14x
Cramlington 22 56.15x
Newington 22 2.99x
Plymstock 22 101.29x
Faversham 20 30.85x
Grandborough 20 975.61x
Lewisham 20 5.52x
Plymouth Charles The 20 10.94x
Wing 20 179.05x
Littlebury 19 349.91x
St Keverne 19 152.98x
Illogan 18 30.13x
Redruth 18 28.20x
St Dominick 18 318.02x
Swansea Town 17 5.98x
Weston Turville 17 302.49x
Egloshayle 16 151.23x
Poplar London 16 4.25x
Preston Next Faversham 16 100.13x
Mylor 15 99.21x
Ryde 15 17.09x
Southill 15 434.78x
Callington 14 106.46x
Derby St Werburgh 14 7.77x
Royal Navy 14 6.90x
Falmouth 13 16.28x
Great Little Marsden 13 12.00x
Lambeth 13 0.75x
Menheniot 13 138.74x
Mevagissey 13 86.72x
Spotland 12 4.56x
St Erme 12 346.82x
Chatham 11 5.88x
Gorran 11 173.50x
Leeds 11 0.99x
St Gluvias Penryn 11 60.84x
St Mellion 11 521.33x
St Pancras London 11 0.69x
Westgate 11 5.99x
Aberystruth 10 7.87x
Antony 10 45.89x
Bromley London 10 2.28x
Clerkenwell London 10 2.13x
Liskeard 10 26.49x
Preston 10 1.58x
St Clether 10 680.27x
St Stephens By Saltash 10 102.88x
Exeter St Sidwell 9 9.47x
Islington London 9 0.47x
Luton 9 5.04x
Maker 9 43.19x
North Hill 9 124.48x
Portsea 9 1.12x
St Andrewthe Less 9 6.24x
St Ewe 9 131.58x
Stoke Climsland 9 62.46x
Battersea 8 1.09x
Beeston 8 40.06x
Birmingham 8 0.48x
Hardwick 8 547.95x
Litchborough 8 337.55x
Pillaton 8 346.32x
Skircoat 8 10.27x
St Breock 8 65.63x
Stanwell 8 54.24x
Truro St Mary 8 42.19x
St Clement 7 29.72x
St Just In Penwith 7 15.99x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rickard surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 146
Elizabeth 84
Sarah 57
Jane 42
Eliza 38
Annie 34
Emma 29
Emily 27
Ellen 26
Ann 24
Alice 19
Susan 18
Louisa 15
Amelia 14
Harriet 14
Margaret 14
Florence 13
Bessie 12
Charlotte 12
Edith 11
Rebecca 11
Caroline 10
Grace 10
Hannah 10
Jessie 10
Kate 10
Maria 10
Laura 9
Lucy 9
Martha 9
Beatrice 8
Mabel 8
Matilda 8
Ada 7
Elizth. 7
Gertrude 7
Selina 7
Fanny 6
Lydia 6
Minnie 6
Catherine 5
Clara 5
Helen 5
Maud 5
Amy 4
Anna 4
Anne 4
Carrie 4
Ethel 4
Julia 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rickard surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 134
John 119
Thomas 72
James 59
George 38
Joseph 38
Charles 31
Alfred 29
Henry 29
Richard 27
Edward 23
Samuel 20
Frederick 19
Robert 18
Harry 16
Arthur 15
Albert 11
Edwin 10
Francis 10
Walter 10
Frank 7
Fred 7
Ernest 6
Wm. 6
Herbert 5
Martin 5
Cecil 4
Pascoe 4
Philip 4
Edgar 3
Fredrick 3
Horace 3
Jno. 3
Mark 3
Nathan 3
Percy 3
Reuben 3
Tom 3
Amos 2
Anty. 2
Benjamin 2
Cornelius 2
David 2
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Jas. 2
Michael 2
Moses 2
Nicholas 2
Patrick 2

FAQ

Rickard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rickard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,028 people were recorded with the Rickard surname. That placed it at #2,170 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rickard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,951 in 2016. That gives Rickard a modern rank of #2,284.

What does the Rickard surname mean?

Derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (power) and "hard" (brave), referring to a powerful and brave ruler.

What does the Rickard map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rickard bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.