Richard

From WikiName

 |male

 1

ORIGIN & HISTORY

The Normans introduced Richard to England in the 12th-century, by King Richard I, who was also called Richard the Lionhearted. He ruled with a heavy hand, but was hardly ever in England, due to fighting his relatives in France. The English seemed to idolize him, even though times were not good under his reign. Richard was a name given to British boys for thousands of years after Richard the Lionhearted ruled.

POPULARITY

Richard has been a very popular name for boys in the United States, especially during the 1950's and the 1960's. Every year after 1960, the name Rick has dropped further on the U. S. census charts, where it plummeted to an unpopular 930 in 2006. Richard has held up over the years and in the 2000's has been in the top 100-currently at the 81st spot.

FACTS

• "Rico Suave" is the name of the 1991 hit song by Gerardo, which by the way made him a one hit wonder.
• King Richard I is still a well-know person in today's world. He has been portrayed in many movies, including by Richard Harris in the movie, Robin and Marian in 1976. King Richard I also stars in several video games where he fights many battles, such as Lion heart: Legacy of the Crusader.

NAMESAKES

• Richard is the name of a street football game; the name comes from the Spanish verb rechazar, which means "to reject."
• Popular singing 70's duo, Simon and Garfunkel named their song, "Richard Cory" after Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem by the same name.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Richard Nixon became the first U.S. President to step down from the Presidency in 1974, due to his impending impeachment for his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. Born on January 9, 1913, he died several days later after a stroke on April 22, 1994.
• Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American photographer who helped transform fashion photography into an fine art.
• Richard Brome (1590-1652) was an English dramatist of the Caroline era.
• Richard Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, writer and actor, famous for his honest examinations of racism and daily life. A bit of an eccentric character, he was married seven times to five different women. He once doused himself in rum and struck a match during a drug induced psychosis, after which, he mused: "When you're on fire and running down the street, people will get out of your way." According to his wife, there was smile on his face when he died.