Rich
A surname that usually began as a nickname for someone wealthy, powerful, or splendid—or as a short form of Richard.
The #696 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,240 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually traced to Middle English riche/ryche, meaning "rich, wealthy, powerful, mighty," from Old English rice and also influenced by Old French riche, ultimately from Old High German rihhi. In that sense it began as a nickname for a prosperous or influential person. Some sources also treat Rich as a shortened form of Richard, which makes it a possible patronymic in some families.
History
Early surname writers disagreed a little about the main source of the name, but both nickname and short-form-of-Richard explanations appear in the records. The name is found in medieval English documentation, including forms such as Le Rich. In later usage, some regional families may also have taken the name from local forms or from shortening of longer names like Richard.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century authority specifically noted that the Sussex name Rich could sometimes be a corruption of Ridge, showing that not every family with the surname shares the same origin.
From the historical record
“indifferently- Rice and Rise Powell. RICH (Teut. and Fr.-Teut.) i Wealthy, Powerful, Mighty [M.E. riche, ryche, O.E. rice; also O.Fr. riche from O.H.Ger. rihhi (mod. reicKl Hugo le Ryche.— f/M»d. Rolls. 2 (later) 9 dim. of Richard, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)