Dicky
A masculine diminutive form of the name Richard, derived from the old German name Ricard meaning brave power or powerful leader.
Name Census estimates that about 576 living Americans carry the first name Dicky. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dicky today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dicky births was 1947 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dicky. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dicky is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dickys were born before 1964.
People living today
576
~ 1 in 595,060 Americans
Peak year
1947
37 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1980 SSA rank
#6,502
Tracked since 1925
Census
Dicky in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 519 people with the first name Dicky, which placed it at #20,044 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,044
National first-name rank
People counted
519
519 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dicky
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dicky is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%) and Hispanic (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dicky described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dicky at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.4% · 350
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.0% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 34
- Black or African American5.4% · 28
- Two or more races2.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 10
Popularity
Dicky: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dicky from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 295 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dicky by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dicky during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dickys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Dicky, while Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dicky
The given name Dicky has its origins in the English language, emerging as a diminutive or nickname form of the name Richard. Richard itself is derived from the Germanic elements "ric" (meaning ruler or power) and "hart" (meaning hardy or brave). The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages and was often associated with nobility and strength.
In the early medieval period, the name Dicky was primarily used as an informal or affectionate variant of Richard. It was common practice to create diminutive forms of names by adding suffixes like "-y" or "-ie" to the original name. This practice was prevalent in various cultures and languages, reflecting a sense of endearment or familiarity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dicky can be found in the works of the English playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "Henry IV, Part 2," written around 1597, Shakespeare includes a character named "Sir John Falstaff," who refers to Prince Henry as "Dicky, your boy." This usage highlights the name's association with a sense of closeness or familiarity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dicky. One prominent figure was Dicky Dunn (1664-1698), an English highwayman and legendary figure known for his daring exploits and romanticized adventures. His exploits were documented in various ballads and stories of the time, contributing to the name's association with a roguish and adventurous spirit.
Another notable bearer of the name was Dicky Pearce (1718-1778), an English cricketer who played for the famous Hambledon Club in the 18th century. He is regarded as one of the earliest professional cricketers and is credited with pioneering the use of the underarm bowling technique.
In the realm of literature, Dicky Malope (1886-1967) was a South African writer and educator of Tswana descent. He played a significant role in promoting and preserving the Tswana language and culture through his literary works, including novels, short stories, and translations.
Moving into the 20th century, Dicky Roux (1920-2003) was a South African cricketer who captained the national team in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He is remembered for his courageous leadership and his role in promoting cricket in South Africa during a challenging period.
Finally, Dicky Lyle (1938-2020) was a Scottish professional golfer who enjoyed a successful career on the European Tour. He won several prestigious tournaments, including the World Cup and the British Masters, and represented Scotland in numerous international competitions.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have borne the name Dicky throughout history, spanning various fields such as literature, sports, and popular culture.
People
Dicky + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dicky as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dicky: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dicky?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 576 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dicky going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 595,060 US residents.
Is Dicky a common name?
We classify Dicky as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 975 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dicky most popular?
The single biggest year for Dicky was 1947, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dicky is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dicky in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 519 people with the name Dicky, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,044 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dicky in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dicky?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dicky leans strongly male. 484 people counted with this name were male (93.4%), compared with 34 female bearers (6.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dicky?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dicky is White at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.0%) and Hispanic (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dicky most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dicky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (350 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dicky in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dicky a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dicky in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dicky still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dicky in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dicky can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Dicky?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.