Contents [hide]

Ricard History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Ricard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Wales

Etymology of Ricard

What does the name Ricard mean?

The history of the name Ricard goes back the Medieval period to a region known as Brittany (French: Bretagne). Such a French name was given to a person known for his bravery. The name Richard is derived from the Germanic personal name of Richard, which is composed of the elements "ric", meaning "powerful", and "hard", meaning "brave" or "strong".

Early Origins of the Ricard family

The surname Ricard was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the honour of Kerjean, a seigneurie which would ultimately become noblesse as Barons of the Empire.

By the 15th century many of the family name had branched eastward to Lorraine, where the name seemed to become most prolific. Meanwhile, they also emerged in other locations throughout France including Aboncourt in Lorraine, Dauphine, Bressel in Neufchatel, Pichon in île-de-France, Prade in Lyonnais, Vaux in Roannais, Ruffey in Bourgogne, Pontreau in Berry, in Brittany at Pervenchere, Primaudaye, and in Coetaufao. François Richard was a French industrialist who died in 1839.

Marin Richard, son of Jean and Guillemette (née Bertin), is recorded as one of the first members of the Richard family to come to New France in the 17th century. He is viewed as the primary ancestor for the Richard families in Canada. Marin eventually settled at Saint-Charles-des-Grandines and married Marie-Madeleine Grandjean, daughter of Philippe and Claude (née Argentiere), in Quebec on 21st October 1669. 1

Early History of the Ricard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ricard research. The years 1621 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Ricard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ricard Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Ricard include Richard, Richeau, de Richard, De Richard, de la Richard, Richaud, Richart and many more.

Early Notables of the Ricard family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ricard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ricard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Ricard is the 11,163^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Ricard is ranked the 872^nd most popular surname with an estimated 6,111 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Ricard is the 353^rd popular surname. 4 France ranks Ricard as 453^rd with 9,593 people. 5

Ricard migration to the United States +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Ricard were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Ricard were

Ricard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Ricard, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Peter Ricard, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1635 6
Mr. Peter Ricard, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 7

Ricard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Ricard, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 6
Antoine Ricard, who landed in New York, NY in 1796 6
Paul Ricard, who arrived in New York in 1798 6

Ricard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Ricard, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1808 6
James Ricard, aged 46, who landed in Maryland in 1812 6
Juan Ricard, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1829 6
Pascal Ricard, aged 42, who landed in Missouri in 1847 6
Victorine Ricard, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ricard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henri Ricard, aged 10, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
Albert Ricard, aged 33, who landed in America from Paris, in 1905
Germain Ricard, aged 42, who landed in America, in 1906
Anseline Ricard, aged 86, who immigrated to the United States from Nice, France, in 1910
Augusta Ricard, aged 18, who landed in America from Chasselet, France, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ricard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ricard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

John Ricard, who arrived in Quebec from Touraine in 1664

Ricard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles-Samson Ricard, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marguerite Richer, daughter of Pierre and Dorothée, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 7th March 1702 8
Jean Ricard, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Louise Morneau, daughter of Jean and Geneviève, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 11th February 1708 8
Thomas Ricard, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Françoise Grignon, daughter of Jacques and Marie-Thérèse, in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec on 3rd February 1716 8
François Ricard, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Josephte Jobin, daughter of Jean and Françoise-Élisabeth, in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec on 23rd January 1731 8
Pierre-Charles Ricard, son of Charles-Simon and Marguerite, who married Marie-Françoise Lecuier, daughter of Antoine nad Marie, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 6th February 1736 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ricard (post 1700) +

René Ricard (b. 1946), American poet, art critic and painter
Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Nicolas Xavier de Ricard, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Paul Ricard (1909-1997), French entrepreneur, co-founder of Pernod Ricard, a major producer of pastis and creator of Circuit Paul Ricard, ex Grand Prix circuit in South of France
Matthieu Ricard (b. 1946), French Buddhist monk, son of Jean-François Revel, a renowned French philosopher
François Ricard (1947-2022), Canadian writer and academic, born and raised in Shawinigan, professor of French literature at McGill University since 1980
J.H. Théogène Ricard PC (1909-2006), Canadian politician, parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada
Hamilton Ricard Cuesta (b. 1974), Colombian footballer
Ricard Cardus González (b. 1988), Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer

The Ricard Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aimer
Motto Translation: Love

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 27) Étienne Ricard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 27) Nicolas Ricard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html