Is Rich short for anything?

Yes. Rich is a nickname in most old records, and it usually points to Richard. No other formal name claims it in the records we track. Expect it in American and British records, mostly 1800s-1900s. A record that says Rich and a record that says Richard can easily be the same person, so search both names before you rule anyone out.

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FAQs

Is Rich a nickname?+

In old records, almost always - it stands for Richard. Treat it as a pointer to a formal name until the documents prove otherwise.

Is Rich a real name on its own?+

It mostly rode on Richard in the eras we track (1800s-1900s). If your ancestor's papers only ever say Rich, record it as written and keep Richard as a candidate.

How does this nickname lookup work?+

It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.

Start with one relative and see what comes back.

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