Ricci as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ricci

What is the meaning of the name Ricci ?

The baby name Ricci is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced {'italian': '/ˈrit.tʃi/ (REE-chee)', 'english': '/ˈrɪki/ (RICK-ee)'}.

Ricci is Italian in Origin.

Ricci (REE-chee) is an Italian surname-turned-given name derived from the adjective riccio, “curly, frizzed,” and by extension the noun for “hedgehog,” from Latin ericius. As a cognomen it identified someone with curly hair; the plural form Ricci became a common family name across the peninsula. The meaning centers on “curly-haired” or “bristly.”

While long established as a surname - borne by figures such as the Jesuit scholar Matteo Ricci and the Baroque painter Sebastiano Ricci - the name has seen modern, mostly masculine but sometimes unisex, first-name use in English-speaking countries, following the fashion for adopting surnames as given names. Variants and related forms include Riccio (singular), De Ricci, and Riccioli; diminutives or nicknames can be Ric or Rici. It is sometimes mistaken for Richie/Ritchie, a pet form of Richard, but Ricci has a distinct Italian etymology and sense.