Where does “Richard” come from?
Richard (Old French) comes from Medieval Latin Richardus, from Frankish Rīkahard, from Proto-Germanic Rīkaharduz, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “Richard”, step by step
Richard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Medieval Latin Richardus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | Richardus | — |
| 2 | Frankish | Rīkahard | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | Rīkaharduz | A male given name |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |
via Frankish Rīcohard
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankish | Rīcohard | — |