I'm a Dublin Rickard and I'm interested in where the family actually originates from.
I've always been told by my family that it is a Viking name. In Dublin the Rickard family all seem to have originated from the small fishing village of Howth and the family are supposed to have lived there ever since the Vikings settled in Ireland sometime in the 9th century.

Hello Aideen,
I quite agree with you - it is also backed up
by how common the Rickard name(exact spelling}is in Scandinavian countries. Whilst on Rickard research my great grandmother was an Elizabeth Rickard, of Irish descent with Dublin connections. I think she was a music teacher. She married a William Cross in Killarney in 1869. Fathers name was Matthias Rickard. Any connection? Have a bit more info if required. Hope to hear from you even if negative.
kind regards
Mike Cross

Aideen
I am also a descendent of the Rickards from Howth and would like to know if we could share information. I am just starting out. My mother was actually born in Galway but grew up in Howth with her future brothers and sisters. According to a birth certificate, her father was born in Baldoyle. Although you are researching your past, you may be interested in knowing that she moved to England, married, and brought up a family of six children in England, Australia and Canada. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Michael Cross

Your post was some years ago, so you are probably not reading any more...

I am also descended from this Matthias Rickard, I believe, so I would be very happy to get further information from you and discuss this with you further.

I'll wait and see if I get a reply before sending any more.

Hope to hear from you!

The origin of the Rickard name is according to my research Norweigan or Viking in origin. There are many variations and spellings of this name. Remember at the time of invading northern Germany and the coastal areas of Scotland and Ireland, there was a strong oral language but a poor or rudimentary written language. Hence the way in which the Anglo-Saxons heard the name meant one spelling and a slightly different spelling depending on the German tribe elsewhere - let us say further inland from Saxony. There is much conjecture as to whether it is an Anglo-Saxon name however in Cornwall where my family comes from the ancient Britons fought to prevent a takeover by the Anglo-Saxons ensuring that the Viking presence from ireland, Wales and Scotland remained largely untouched.

This is a very brief summary of my work and would welcome comments from those interested in this matter.

regards
Peter Rickard
Melbourne Australia