# Are there any young Dicks anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077 "2019-03-13T16:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/1 "2019-03-13T16:24:15Z")
Sorry not sorry for the title. But seriously, do you know any Richard, under, say, 30, that goes by Dick? Also, if you happen to go by Dick, why? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/2 "2019-03-13T16:31:19Z")
The only Richard I know who goes by Dick is my father, and he’s 85. He’s gone by Dick as a nickname for as long as I’ve been alive, and probably for his entire life; as far as I know, he’s never gone by any other nickname (Rich, Richie, Rick, etc.) I know a number of other, younger Richards (including my cousin, who’s my age (53)), and they all go by Rich or Rick for short. [This article suggests](https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/where-did-all-the-dicks-go) that Dick started to fall out of style in the U.S. by the 1930s, but really fell off in the 1960s and 1970s; it suggests that both (a) the name becoming a term for “jerk” or “idiot” (and not just slang for “penis,” which is apparently considerably older) around that time, and (b) a particularly infamous Dick (Nixon), played roles. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/3 "2019-03-13T16:36:35Z")
Went to high school with a guy called Dick in the early 70s. Haven’t heard anyone younger than that go by that name, several people older though, and many of them have probably passed on by now. No child would go by that name, it’s worse than Mulva. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/4 "2019-03-13T16:37:59Z")
[http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=richard&sw=both&exact=false](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=richard&sw=both&exact=false) Richard was the fifth most common boy’s name in the 1930s, down to the 160th today - which is not all that rare (checking at random, Richard is more common today than “Carl” is - and I wouldn’t think of Carl as a rare name) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/5 "2019-03-13T16:49:33Z")
Here’s the SSA website for seeing what names are popular. Per this list, Richard was 175th most popular in 2017 [Popular Baby Names](https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi) - but that still puts it above names like Steven, Brian, and Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/6 "2019-03-13T16:51:08Z")
Of the forty-three Dicks displayed on [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_(nickname)) wikipedia page, the most recent was born in 1976. For the second most recent, one has to go all the way back to 1953. So it does appear that Dicks are shrinking among the general populace. Some eye-catching Dicks from that page include: Dick Assman, Dick Barber, Dick Butkus, Dick Johnson, Dick Pole and Dick Pound. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/7 "2019-03-13T16:55:03Z")
And I clearly missed the point of this thread. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/8 "2019-03-13T16:57:28Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > So it does appear that Dicks are shrinking among the general populace. I saw what you did there. 😃 > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Some eye-catching Dicks from that page include: Dick Assman, Dick Barber, Dick Butkus, Dick Johnson, Dick Pole and Dick Pound. And, my very favorite, late NASCAR driver [Dick Trickle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Trickle) (born 1941). ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/9 "2019-03-13T17:34:13Z")
This [1975 Dick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_T%C3%A4rnstr%C3%B6m) was imported from Sweden. I think we have a Pittsburgh Penguin fan here who might know this. I searched on the other sports reference sites and the youngest American Dick was born in 1964. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/10 "2019-03-13T17:45:27Z")
I was supposed to be a boy. My Mother wanted a Tom, Dick and Harry for sons. We are now Tom, Beck and Harry. Thank God I wasn’t a boy. I am called Beck by my family. I’m Rebecca. 2 people call me that. My oldest Sister and my MIL. Not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/11 "2019-03-13T17:49:59Z")
I remember at least one previous thread where we discussed this—it might have been [this one](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=708657). ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/12 "2019-03-13T17:51:13Z")
> [@Covfefe](#): > > This [1975 Dick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_T%C3%A4rnstr%C3%B6m) was imported from Sweden. I think we have a Pittsburgh Penguin fan here who might know this. I searched on the other sports reference sites and the youngest American Dick was born in 1964. I thought it was going to be Ulf Samuelson … even though there’s no dick in his name … when asked who the dirtiest player in the NHL was, he said “me.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/13 "2019-03-13T17:53:17Z")
I had an Uncle Dick, who would have been born in the 1920s or so. My brother and nephew are both named Richard but go by Rich and Rick. My brother, who is in his 60s, does amateur stand-up and uses “Dick” as part of his stage name as a joke. I don’t know of any Dicks of his generation or younger. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/14 "2019-03-13T17:57:38Z")
Dick’s Sporting Goods. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/15 "2019-03-13T17:59:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > My brother, who is in his 60s, does amateur stand-up and uses “Dick” as part of his stage name as a joke. Relatedly, comedian Tim Allen (born 1953) was born Timothy Alan Dick. When he started his standup career, TV producers told him that “Timothy Dick” wasn’t going to go over well (since it _did_ sound like a joke name), so he used a variant spelling of his middle name for his stage surname. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/16 "2019-03-13T18:26:40Z")
Seems like the youngest Dick mentioned so far is from 1975. Most of the other Dicks are retired and thus… Er… Not working? (sorry) ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/17 "2019-03-13T18:27:08Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Here’s the SSA website for seeing what names are popular. Per this list, Richard was 175th most popular in 2017 [Popular Baby Names](https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi) - but that still puts it above names like Steven, Brian, and Paul. That is funny. My dad was Paul, and my brothers were Brian and Steven. Way better names than Richard. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/18 "2019-03-13T18:33:07Z")
Since the 90s, every Richard I’ve known is “Rick” not “Rich” and never “Dick” ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/19 "2019-03-13T18:37:07Z")
You can do a search for names at IMDB: [IMDb: Name Matching "dick", Birth Date of 1989-01-01 (Sorted by Popularity Ascending) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/search/name?name=dick&birth_date=1989-01-01), The only two results (birthdate 1989+) have Dick for a last name. There are 48 with Richard 7 with Rick, 4 with Rich. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/20 "2019-03-13T19:35:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Dick’s Sporting Goods. I once (ca. 2003) made the hilarious mistake of going (for valid work purposes) to look at the Dick’s Sporting Goods website on a work computer. But I didn’t bother searching for the address, I simply assumed it would be [dicks.com](http://dicks.com). It. Was. Not. :eek::smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077.md?page=2)