Rico is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Rico means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Rico across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Rico has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Rico is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “ruler”. A short form of names like Enrico or Ricardo.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 9,971 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,470 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 61 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 23 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Rico per year, United States (1915 to 2025). United States peaked in 1976 (327/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (84/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (10/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2024 (6/yr).
Rico has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1976, when it ranked #969 nationally (given to 327 babies that year).
Ricky · Rick · Rickey · Rickie · Rocco · Ricki · Rock · Ric
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