The English and German surname of Richards was brought to England in the great wave of migration following of the Norman invasion of 1066. It came from the given name of Richard. Over the centuries the Richards surname has become popular in Wales. Origins of Richards families are from England, Wales and Ireland.

In England most with the Richards surname live in Cornwall and London. In Wales they live in Monmouthshire and Glamorgan counties. Lanarkshire and Midlowthian counties of Scotland have higher numbers of Richards families.

The states of , Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California and Illinois have large numbers of Richards families.
In the 1880s most Richards families were farmers.
Famous: Henry B. Richards (19th century composer), Janet Radcliffe Richards (British feminist philosopher and expert on bioethics), Jim Richards (New Zealand and Australian race driver), Michael Richards (actor), Nansi Richards (Welsh harpist, known as ‘Queen of the Harp‘), Claire Richards (English pop singer), Renee Richards (professional tennis player), Keith Richards (English guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones), Ellen H. Swallow Richards (19thcentury American industrial and environmental chemist, especially in the field of home economics), Jeff Richards (professional baseball player and later movie actor), Kim Richards (actress) and Richard N. Richards (American astronaut in flights from 1989 to 1994).