Surname Richman - Meaning and Origin

Richman: What does the surname Richman mean?

The surname Richman is of English origin and is derived from a nickname for a wealthy or prosperous individual, literally meaning "rich man". This may have been used ironically for a poor person or, more typically, given to a notable local landowner. It is what’s known as an occupational or status surname, a common type of surname in the medieval period, referring to the occupation or social status of the person’s male ancestor. The family with the Richman surname lived in a place that was noted for having lived on a ridge, and took their name from the geographical feature. In Old English, ridge is spelled "hrycg". In this instance, the name Richman belongs to the category of habitation names, derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. While variations of this surname have spread around the world because of migration, it is primarily found in the United States, England, and Canada.

Richman: Where does the name Richman come from?

The last name Richman is most common in the United States, where it ranks 3,581 in terms of frequency. Richman is also found in parts of Europe – particularly in the United Kingdom and Poland. Outside of the US, the UK is the country with the most instances of Richman, ranking 1,777.

Interestingly, Richman is a relatively rare name in comparison to others with the same surname suffix. For example, the surname suffix -man is used in many instances, often with a variety of spelling variations. The most common versions of the same suffix include Richman, Richmann, Richmon, Richmund, Richmun, Richmunn, and Richmound.

Richman is derived from an Old Germanic surname, meaning either “powerful man” from the Middle High German Ruch and the Old Germanic man, or “light skinned man” from the Old High German rihhi and the Old Germanic man.

Today, Richman is found across the globe, but holds particular prominence in the United States, United Kingdom, and Poland. In the US and the UK, it appears in popular culture, having been comparatively common in both areas since the name’s inception. In Poland, its use is less pronounced, though still prevalent and likely to remain so in the future.

Variations of the surname Richman

The surname Richman is of English, Ashkenazic Jewish, German, and Dutch origins.

Variants of Richman include Reichman, Reichmann, Rychman, Richemond, Rychmund, Rikman, Rykman, Richemont, Richmon, Righman, Richimann, Richamann, Reichemond, Rychemund, Richimond, Richimund, Reichmond, Reichmuth, Reichemund, Reichembach, and Reichelman.

Variants in alternate spellings include Riechman, Riechmann, Ryechman, Riechemont, Richmon, Richmuth, Righman, Rychmond, Rychemund, Richamond, Reechman, Riechymon, Riechymond, Reichmane, Reichembach, Rycheman, Rychmane, Riechmane, Richemann, Richyman, Reichmaun, Reicheomont, Reichymond, Richymon, Richymond, Ry bogart, Riegeheiman, Reichemann, Rykmane, Reichemaun, Reiechmond, Reichmymond, Reichemyman, Richimaun, Richymaun, Reicelligent, Richmano, Riechemonte, and Reichmante.

Common surnames belonging to the same origin as Richman include Rieman, Reeman, Reiman, Riceman, Richmer, Righter, Rehmann, Reymer, Rigler, Righter, Reahmann, Royman, Riemann, Rayman, Reymann, Rizman, Reifman, Riebman, Reeceman, Reecemann, Riepman, Regerman, Reichenbach, Ryderman, Reichle, Reithman, Reichard, Rechtman, Rehbinder, Rhein, Rheinhold, Reich, Reicher, Reiche, Reichel, Reimann, Rekker, Resnick, Reis, Reyerson, Richter, Richlin, Ricker, Reichmann, Reif, Reiner, Reiss, Ringler, Rintel, Rinderspacher, Ripley, Robert, Rohr, and won.

Famous people with the name Richman

• Adam Richman: He was the host of the Travel Channel show Man vs. Food, where he traveled the world looking for the best restaurants and food challenges.
• Paul Reubens: He is best known as Pee-Wee Herman, and has been a fixture in American pop culture since the 1980s.
• Ray Romano: The popular comedian starred in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
• Kenny Rogers: The country music singer and songwriter released his first album in 1957 and had many hit songs across the decades.
• Orson Bean: The veteran actor had a prolific career, appearing on Broadway, television, and films.
• Gabe Kapler: He is a retired baseball player who played twelve seasons in the major leagues and is currently the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
• Adam Richman: He is a British-born Jewish-American television food presenter, author and actor.
• Dan Richman: He is a musician, producer, and composer from Los Angeles, California.
• Daniel Richman: He is a New York-based American lawyer and professor of criminal law at Columbia Law School.
• Andrew Richman: He is an American lawyer and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Other surnames

RichmannRichmond