Dick

Dick - A very unique male name

Dick appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #474. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Dick and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Dick? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Dick. The baby boy name Dick was given to 5 baby boys in 1989, ranking #3080 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 372,313 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Dick peaked in popularity 92 years ago in 1934 on position 141.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Dick, 1-5?

Dick is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Dick is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #2,147 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,147.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Dick is where you live.

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Dick origin and meaning

English — short form of Richard

Short form of Richard, via the medieval rhyming nickname Rick to Dick; Richard is Germanic ric 'ruler' + hard 'brave'

Dick is the classic rhyming short form of Richard, formed in medieval England alongside Rick and Hick, and long registered as a name in its own right. It first appears in the data in 1910, peaked in 1934 with 1,099 births, and totals 25,442 lifetime births. It has no row in the 2020 or 2025 data.

Attested etymology

Dick is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Dick, pop culture references for the name Dick and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Dick

We've found the following names that sound similar to Dick, sorted by popularity.

Diego / Doug / Dax / Duke / Dash / Dickie / Dock / Desi / Doyce / Daksh /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Dick

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Dick a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Dick?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

DIK · /dɪk/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Rick — Related Richard short form

Famous bearers

• Dick Van Dyke — American actor and comedian, star of The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins (b. 1925) Contemporary
• Dick Cheney — American vice president (2001–2009), born Richard Cheney and universally known as Dick Cheney (1941–2025) Contemporary

Style

Nickname nameShort form

Why parents choose it

Historically a sturdy Richard nickname, but the modern slang meaning makes it unusable as a registered name for most parents today.

Worth knowing

• The modern slang sense is the dominant association and is the reason the name disappeared as a given name.