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Richards Family History

Richards Surname Meaning

English: variant of Richard with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. Compare Rickards.

German: patronymic from the personal name Richard.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Richards family from?

You can see how Richards families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Richards family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Richards families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 321 Richards families living in New York. This was about 15% of all the recorded Richards's in USA. New York had the highest population of Richards families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Richards surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Richards ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Richards. 14% of Richards men worked as a Laborer and 7% of Richards women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Richards were Truck Driver and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Richards | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    14%
  • Farmer
    12%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Stenographer
    5%

What Richards family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Richards. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Richards census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Richards

Passenger Lists

There are 157,000 immigration records available for the last name Richards. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Richards immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 170,000 military records available for the last name Richards. For the veterans among your Richards ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Richards military records

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