Ricky
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- RIK-ee
- Origin
- Germanic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,859 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #948 for boys
Ricky is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “powerful and brave”. In 2025 it ranked 1,859th for boys in the UK (14 babies) and 948th for boys in the US (248 babies).
What does Ricky mean?
Germanic: pet form of Richard
“powerful and brave”
A pet form of Richard, and sometimes of other names ending in -ric, such as Frederick or Eric.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ricky a girl's or a boy's name?
Ricky is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 boys in the UK and 15 girls and 248 boys in the US.
How popular is Ricky in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,859among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14about 1 in 21,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the UK were named Ricky, making it the 1,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,275th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 254 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ricky in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,130th in England and Wales and 762nd in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#75).
Ricky in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #1,859 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 16 | #1,643 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,708 |
| 2021 | 18 | #1,481 |
| 2020 | 22 | #1,275 |
| 2019 | 27 | #1,103 |
| 2018 | 23 | #1,243 |
| 2017 | 27 | #1,141 |
| 2016 | 27 | #1,133 |
| 2015 | 42 | #825 |
| 2014 | 29 | #1,058 |
| 2013 | 23 | #1,199 |
| 2012 | 45 | #790 |
| 2011 | 45 | #773 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,085 |
| 2009 | 60 | #606 |
| 2008 | 63 | #584 |
| 2007 | 59 | #577 |
| 2006 | 63 | #533 |
| 2005 | 56 | #536 |
| 2004 | 57 | #504 |
| 2003 | 47 | #556 |
| 2002 | 52 | #475 |
| 2001 | 71 | #387 |
| 2000 | 101 | #300 |
| 1999 | 109 | #292 |
| 1998 | 147 | #241 |
| 1997 | 173 | #209 |
| 1996 | 254 | #152 |
How popular is Ricky in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #948among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 248about 1 in 6,900 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 28% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 248 boys in the US were named Ricky, making it the 948th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 696th. Its busiest year was 1958, with 13,375 boys. It first appears in the records in 1925. 15 girls were also named Ricky in 2025 (7,131st for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Ricky than any year since 1943.
Half of all the boys named Ricky in the US since 1880 were born between 1957 and 1976, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 306 boys in the US were given Ricky or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #758, up from #948 for this spelling alone.
Ricky in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 248 | #948 |
| 2024 | 302 | #826 |
| 2023 | 270 | #872 |
| 2022 | 292 | #835 |
| 2021 | 323 | #773 |
| 2020 | 366 | #696 |
| 2019 | 402 | #657 |
| 2018 | 368 | #678 |
| 2017 | 366 | #683 |
| 2016 | 448 | #602 |
| 2015 | 478 | #582 |
| 2014 | 540 | #518 |
| 2013 | 552 | #495 |
| 2012 | 592 | #459 |
| 2011 | 590 | #455 |
| 2010 | 595 | #449 |
| 2009 | 700 | #416 |
| 2008 | 851 | #365 |
| 2007 | 823 | #373 |
| 2006 | 760 | #395 |
| 2005 | 769 | #376 |
| 2004 | 786 | #358 |
| 2003 | 799 | #348 |
| 2002 | 802 | #341 |
| 2001 | 858 | #326 |
| 2000 | 1,025 | #294 |
| 1999 | 1,098 | #271 |
| 1998 | 970 | #292 |
| 1997 | 1,076 | #264 |
| 1996 | 1,197 | #248 |
| 1995 | 1,227 | #237 |
| 1994 | 1,412 | #205 |
| 1993 | 1,442 | #208 |
| 1992 | 1,620 | #191 |
| 1991 | 1,617 | #193 |
| 1990 | 1,759 | #176 |
| 1989 | 1,897 | #159 |
| 1988 | 1,882 | #148 |
| 1987 | 1,854 | #148 |
| 1986 | 1,958 | #144 |
| 1985 | 1,932 | #145 |
| 1984 | 1,981 | #138 |
| 1983 | 2,081 | #128 |
| 1982 | 2,119 | #129 |
| 1981 | 2,221 | #122 |
| 1980 | 2,232 | #122 |
| 1979 | 2,225 | #124 |
| 1978 | 2,017 | #130 |
| 1977 | 1,959 | #136 |
| 1976 | 1,993 | #132 |
| 1975 | 1,918 | #135 |
| 1974 | 2,033 | #129 |
| 1973 | 1,939 | #133 |
| 1972 | 2,236 | #127 |
| 1971 | 2,659 | #121 |
| 1970 | 3,092 | #105 |
| 1969 | 3,415 | #90 |
| 1968 | 4,036 | #70 |
| 1967 | 4,019 | #75 |
| 1966 | 4,680 | #64 |
| 1965 | 5,659 | #57 |
| 1964 | 6,758 | #54 |
| 1963 | 8,114 | #47 |
| 1962 | 8,694 | #50 |
| 1961 | 10,027 | #44 |
| 1960 | 11,000 | #38 |
| 1959 | 13,226 | #34 |
| 1958 | 13,375 | #34 |
| 1957 | 10,574 | #40 |
| 1956 | 8,780 | #43 |
| 1955 | 8,329 | #46 |
| 1954 | 8,164 | #46 |
| 1953 | 6,887 | #51 |
| 1952 | 4,655 | #81 |
| 1951 | 3,073 | #102 |
| 1950 | 2,107 | #128 |
| 1949 | 1,791 | #148 |
| 1948 | 1,600 | #155 |
| 1947 | 1,301 | #173 |
| 1946 | 761 | #220 |
| 1945 | 523 | #252 |
| 1944 | 393 | #301 |
| 1943 | 182 | #465 |
| 1942 | 110 | #598 |
| 1941 | 87 | #654 |
| 1940 | 48 | #919 |
| 1939 | 29 | #1,219 |
| 1938 | 30 | #1,199 |
| 1937 | 19 | #1,576 |
| 1936 | 28 | #1,243 |
| 1935 | 19 | #1,584 |
| 1934 | 20 | #1,551 |
| 1933 | 11 | #2,213 |
| 1932 | 8 | #2,849 |
| 1931 | 10 | #2,470 |
| 1930 | 11 | #2,443 |
| 1929 | 8 | #2,978 |
| 1928 | 10 | #2,659 |
| 1927 | 6 | #3,778 |
| 1926 | 11 | #2,565 |
| 1925 | 6 | #3,739 |
Names like Ricky
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Billy Rudy Rory Lenny Toby Robin Bobby Reggie Robbie Michael Daniel Ryan
Other spellings of Ricky
Names related to Ricky
More Germanic names
Amelia Liam Henry Charlotte William Archie Charlie Emma Freddie Ella Harry Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ricky: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ricky, updated 20 October 2026.