Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Ritchie” come from?

Ritchie is a Scottish diminutive of Richard, which comes from Middle English Rycharde, Old French Richard, and Latin Ricohardus, a name composed of elements meaning "powerful" and "brave."

Ancestry of “Ritchie”, 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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →