Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Rich” come from?

Rich derives from the given name Richard, which passed through Middle English Rycharde and Old French Richard from Latin Ricohardus, ultimately of Germanic origin.

Ancestry of “Rich”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRichard—
2Middle EnglishRycharde—
3Old FrenchRichard—
4Medieval LatinRichardus—
5FrankishRīkahard—
6Proto-GermanicRīkaharduzA male given name
7Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
8Proto-Celticrīxsking
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “Rich”

  • Riches
  • Richian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →