John vs Richard
John and Richardcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, John was ranked #29 and Richard #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1999, John was ranked #40 and Richard #81 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1997, John was ranked #46 and Richard #98 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, John was ranked #78 and Richard #619 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, John was ranked #79 and Richard #311 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2023, John was ranked #144 and Richard #481 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, John was ranked #164 and Richard #398 among boys in England and Wales.
John and Richard over time
John and Richard appear together in 6 published lists, across 286 years of shared records. John held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Richard in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
John reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Richard in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 46 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, John and Richard averaged 22.7 places apart, ending at #46 and #98.
- Longest-running competitions
John and Richard were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 46 years, from 1952 to 1997, ending at #46 and #98.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — John #46 in 1996, Richard #62 in 1996.
List by list
Norway · Boys79 shared years, 1945–2023
John held the stronger position in 79 of those years, Richard in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #12 in 1955, Richard #80 in 1979.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: John #144, Richard #481.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
John held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Richard in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1964, Richard #20 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: John #29, Richard #232.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys46 shared years, 1952–1997
John held the stronger position in 46 of those years, Richard in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1952, Richard #16 in 1960.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1997: John #46, Richard #98.
New Zealand · Boys46 shared years, 1954–1999
John held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Richard in 20.
Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1954, Richard #9 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1999: John #40, Richard #81.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
John held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Richard in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #46 in 1996, Richard #62 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: John #164, Richard #398.
Northern Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 1997–2022
John held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Richard in 0.
Highest recorded here: John #17 in 1997, Richard #77 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: John #79, Richard #311.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | John | Richard |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John. | From Old German elements 'rih' (ruler, king) and 'hart' (hard, firm, brave, hardy) — 'brave ruler'. Introduced to England by the Normans in the 11th century. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Germanic |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɔn/ | /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.əɹd/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #29 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #232 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- John is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Richard is recorded with a Germanic origin.
- John has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Richard.
- John's recorded meaning differs from Richard's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
John
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #20 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2019).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #161 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Richard
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #219 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1954–1999
Highest recorded position: #9 among boys in New Zealand, in 1965 (recorded 1954–1999).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys