Origins of the Richards surname

What does the name Richards mean?

The Richards name is thought to be English and Welsh, being found in documents dating back to the 1300s. The origin of the Richards surname is patronymic, and refers to someone who is the son or descendant of a person named Richard. This given name became especially popular in the medieval era as a tribute to English King Richard 'the Lionheart'.

Alternative variations of the name Richards

Richards, Richard, Richart, Richert, Rychards

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Delve deeper into the Richards family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 738North West 945Isle of Man 22Yorkshire 1548East Midlands 1444West Midlands 3520East 1374London 6155South East 2724South West 11120South Wales 2733Mid Wales 2441West Wales 184North Wales 676Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Richardses lived in south-west

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

75,000 Richards Travel & migration records
460,000 Richardses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Richards

How common is your surname?

65th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Richards surname. The oldest one dates back to 1532.

Who were Richardses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Richardses.

What are the most common Richards first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Richards family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Richardses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Richardses in 1921

Dressmaker

2,524

Domestic Servant

1,187

General Servant Domestic

1,110

Laundress

1,026

General Servant

977

Common male occupations for Richardses in 1921

Coal Miner

2,754

Farmer

2,014

Coal Miner Hewer

1,464

Carpenter

1,393

Agricultural Labourer

1,322

We found over 870,000 family trees with the Richards surname

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