The story
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃reǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃rḗǵs
- Proto-Celtic*rīxs
- Proto-Germanic*rīks
- Proto-West Germanic*rīk
- Proto-Indo-European*kret-der.?
- Proto-Germanic*harduz
- Proto-West Germanic*hardu
- Proto-West Germanic*Rīkuhardu
- Old High GermanRihhart
- Middle High GermanRihard
- Medieval LatinRichardus
- Old FrenchRichard
- Middle EnglishRycharde
- EnglishRichard
- EnglishRick
- EnglishDick
- Englishdick
- Proto-Indo-European*kap-?
- Proto-Indo-European*kap-
- Proto-Indo-European*káput
- Proto-Germanic*haubudą
- Old Englishhēafod
- Middle Englishheed
- Englishhead
- English todaydickhead
From dick + head. Attested since the 1960s, with the jerk sense appearing earliest. Compare cockhead, knobhead.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.