boys' name ★ peaked 1958

Ricky

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Richard Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #949 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

A diminutive of the male given name Richard.

Rank 2025
#949
among boys · ↓121 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
263
named Ricky · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,887
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1958
13,424 babies
All-time total
225,089
#171 all-time among boys
First recorded
1925
in Social Security records

Ricky popularity over time

225,089 babies have been named Ricky since 1925, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s 10 41 51 5 – #2,700
1930s 23 185 208 21 +308% #1,216
1940s 182 6,796 6,978 698 +3255% #148
1950s 474 79,170 79,644 7,964 +1041% #34
1960s 456 66,402 66,858 6,686 -16% #38
1970s 238 22,071 22,309 2,231 -67% #105
1980s 240 20,157 20,397 2,040 -9% #122
1990s 128 13,418 13,546 1,355 -34% #176
2000s 78 8,173 8,251 825 -39% #294
2010s 60 4,931 4,991 499 -40% #450
2020s (to 2025) 55 1,801 1,856 309 -38% #697

Where Ricky is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 237 0.14 outside top 500
2027 228 0.13 outside top 500
2028 220 0.13 outside top 500
2029 214 0.13 outside top 500
2030 209 0.12 outside top 500

Where Ricky is most popular

Boys named Ricky per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.166 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, California, and Oklahoma.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ricky born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 35 0.342 +106%
California 257 0.281 +69%
Oklahoma 24 0.271 +63%
Georgia 60 0.237 +43%
Missouri 32 0.231 +39%
Tennessee 40 0.222 +33%
Texas 187 0.212 +28%
Ohio 55 0.208 +25%
Arkansas 13 0.205 +24%
Indiana 32 0.200 +20%
North Carolina 49 0.192 +16%
New Mexico 6 0.182 +10%
Arizona 28 0.171 ≈ national
Washington 26 0.159 ≈ national
Utah 15 0.157 -5%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -8%
Florida 71 0.150 -10%
Illinois 37 0.145 -13%
South Carolina 14 0.135 -18%
Michigan 26 0.127 -24%
New York 54 0.125 -25%
Alabama 13 0.119 -28%
Pennsylvania 27 0.102 -39%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -47%
Virginia 16 0.084 -49%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -64%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 -70%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -82%
Alaska – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ricky

Ricky is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #949 in 2025 with 248 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1925, 225,089 American babies have been named Ricky. Its peak came in 1958, when 13,424 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ricky stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ricky?

The median living Ricky is about 62 years old; half are between 45 and 67. An estimated 187 thousand people named Ricky are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ricky year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 15 #7,420 248 #949
2024 10 #10,112 302 #828
2023 7 #13,184 270 #873
2022 12 #8,944 292 #836
2021 – – 323 #773
2020 11 #9,421 366 #697
2019 9 #11,206 402 #658
2018 10 #10,412 368 #680
2017 12 #9,235 366 #683
2016 8 #12,653 448 #602
2015 8 #12,772 478 #582
2014 – – 540 #518
2013 – – 552 #495
2012 – – 592 #459
2011 6 #16,367 590 #455
2010 7 #14,657 595 #450
2009 10 #11,312 700 #416
2008 7 #15,067 851 #365
2007 9 #12,448 823 #373
2006 7 #14,798 760 #396
2005 – – 769 #376
2004 18 #6,703 786 #358
2003 – – 799 #349
2002 9 #10,903 802 #342
2001 7 #13,177 858 #326
2000 11 #9,027 1,025 #294
1995 16 #5,886 1,227 #237
1990 14 #6,383 1,759 #176
1985 27 #3,309 1,932 #145
1980 25 #3,393 2,232 #122
1975 31 #2,553 1,918 #135
1970 30 #2,501 3,092 #105
1965 28 #2,286 5,659 #57
1960 66 #1,362 11,000 #38
1955 34 #1,831 8,329 #46
1950 32 #1,672 2,107 #128
1945 21 #1,865 523 #252
1940 – – 48 #927
1935 – – 19 #1,640
1930 – – 11 #2,572
1925 – – 6 #4,110
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ricky

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ricky Hatton Ricky Hatton British professional boxer (1978–2025) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ricky Martin Ricky Martin Puerto Rican singer (born 1971) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ricky Gervais Ricky Gervais English comedian (born 1961) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ricky Nelson Ricky Nelson American musician and actor (1940–1985) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ricky Schroder Ricky Schroder American actor (born 1970) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting Australian cricketer (born 1974) Contemporary
  7. 7 Ricky Steamboat Ricky Steamboat American professional wrestler (born 1953) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ricky Rubio Ricky Rubio Spanish basketball player (born 1990) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ricky Whittle Ricky Whittle English actor (born 1979) b. 1981 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Ricky Skaggs Ricky Skaggs American country and bluegrass singer, musician and composer (born 1954) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ricky Jay Ricky Jay American magician and actor (1946–2018) Contemporary
  12. 12 Ricky Álvarez Ricky Álvarez Argentine footballer b. 1988 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Ricky Davis Ricky Davis American basketball player (born 1979) Contemporary
  14. 14 Ricky van Wolfswinkel Ricky van Wolfswinkel Dutch footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  15. 15 Ricky Walden Ricky Walden English snooker player (born 1982) Contemporary
  16. 16 Ricky Bruch Ricky Bruch Swedish discus thrower and actor 1946–2011 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Ricky Berens Ricky Berens American swimmer (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ricky, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ricky?

The median living Ricky is about 62 years old. Half of all living Rickys are between 45 and 67 years old.

How many people named Ricky are alive today?

An estimated 187 thousand people named Ricky are alive in the United States, based on 225,089 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ricky mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Richard.

How popular is the name Ricky in 2025?

Ricky ranked #949 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 248 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ricky?

225,089 babies have been named Ricky in the United States since 1925, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ricky most popular?

Ricky peaked in 1958, when 13,424 newborns received the name.

Is Ricky a boy or girl name?

Ricky is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ricky rising or falling?

Ricky is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ricky become more popular?

Ricky is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 209 boys named Ricky in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ricky?

Well-known people named Ricky include Ricky Hatton (boxer), Ricky Martin (singer), Ricky Gervais (comedian).

Names like Ricky

Names that sound and feel close to Ricky: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ricky with similar names → More names starting with R →