Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1976

Rico

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,805 Trend ↓ Falling 21%

Rico is a diminutive of either the Spanish masculine given name Federico or Ricardo, or of the Italian given name Enrico.

Rank 2025
#1,805
among boys · ↓110 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Rico · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 19,192
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1976
327 babies
All-time total
9,971
#1,211 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Rico popularity over time

9,971 babies have been named Rico since 1915, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 26 26 3 – #2,427
1920s – 53 53 5 +104% #3,026
1930s – 29 29 3 -45% #2,635
1940s – 50 50 5 +72% #2,102
1950s – 177 177 18 +254% #1,317
1960s – 460 460 46 +160% #908
1970s 36 2,049 2,085 209 +353% #436
1980s 9 1,844 1,853 185 -11% #585
1990s – 1,972 1,972 197 +6% #566
2000s – 1,298 1,298 130 -34% #1,070
2010s – 1,323 1,323 132 +2% #1,224
2020s (to 2025) – 645 645 108 -19% #1,448

Where Rico 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 85 0.05 outside top 500
2027 82 0.05 outside top 500
2028 80 0.05 outside top 500
2029 77 0.05 outside top 500
2030 76 0.04 outside top 500

Where Rico is most popular

Boys named Rico per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.061 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, California, and Texas.

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 Rico 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
Arizona 19 0.116 +91%
California 93 0.102 +67%
Texas 70 0.079 +31%
Florida 37 0.078 +29%
Ohio 16 0.060 ≈ national
Illinois 13 0.051 -16%
Georgia 11 0.043 -29%
North Carolina 10 0.039 -36%
Colorado 5 0.039 -36%
Washington 6 0.037 -40%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -45%
Michigan 5 0.024 -60%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Rico

Rico is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,805 in 2025 with 89 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 9,971 American babies have been named Rico. Its peak came in 1976, when 327 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Rico stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rico?

The median living Rico is about 34 years old; half are between 18 and 46. An estimated 9,400 people named Rico are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

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

Rico 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 – – 89 #1,805
2024 – – 99 #1,695
2023 – – 107 #1,630
2022 – – 105 #1,648
2021 – – 125 #1,448
2020 – – 120 #1,448
2019 – – 137 #1,333
2018 – – 133 #1,350
2017 – – 148 #1,243
2016 – – 121 #1,441
2015 – – 123 #1,403
2014 – – 150 #1,224
2013 – – 127 #1,342
2012 – – 108 #1,496
2011 – – 143 #1,227
2010 – – 133 #1,295
2009 – – 126 #1,365
2008 – – 150 #1,185
2007 – – 148 #1,194
2006 – – 144 #1,177
2005 – – 116 #1,314
2004 – – 150 #1,070
2003 – – 114 #1,266
2002 – – 121 #1,173
2001 – – 103 #1,285
2000 – – 126 #1,119
1995 – – 157 #870
1990 – – 295 #585
1985 – – 146 #732
1980 – – 216 #585
1975 10 #5,867 222 #540
1970 9 #5,716 142 #698
1965 – – 43 #1,158
1960 – – 31 #1,458
1955 – – 17 #1,959
1950 – – 8 #2,975
1945 – – – –
1940 – – 5 #3,840
1935 – – 7 #3,199
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 9 #3,164
1915 – – 11 #2,427
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Rico

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

  1. 1 Rico Rodriguez Rico Rodriguez American actor (born 1998) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rico Rodriguez Rico Rodriguez Jamaican musician (1934–2015) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Rico?

The median living Rico is about 34 years old. Half of all living Ricos are between 18 and 46 years old.

How many people named Rico are alive today?

An estimated 9,400 people named Rico are alive in the United States, based on 9,971 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rico mean?

Rico is a diminutive of either the Spanish masculine given name Federico or Ricardo, or of the Italian given name Enrico.

How popular is the name Rico in 2025?

Rico ranked #1,805 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 89 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rico?

9,971 babies have been named Rico in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rico most popular?

Rico peaked in 1976, when 327 newborns received the name.

Is Rico a boy or girl name?

Rico is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rico rising or falling?

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

Will Rico become more popular?

Rico is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 76 boys named Rico 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 Rico?

Well-known people named Rico include Rico Rodriguez (actor), Rico Rodriguez (musician).

Names like Rico

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

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