# Eric (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/eric/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “always”, “eternal”, “ruler”, “honor”, “sole”, “alone”, “king” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛɹɪk/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Erick, Erik, Eriq, Erique |
| US babies named this | 893,184 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 888,891 / 4,293 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 6,954, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Eric, from Old English Eoric, from Old Norse Eirríkr, Eiríkr (from ei (“always, eternal”, see aye) + ríkr (“ruler”)), or from Proto-Germanic *Aizarīkijaz (from *aizō (“honor”) + *rīkijaz (“ruler”)). Less likely from einn (“sole, alone”) + ríkr (“ruler”), from Proto-Germanic *rīks (“king”, cognate to Latin rēx and Gaulish *rīx). The name was in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain, reinforced by Scandinavian settlers before the Norman Conquest. Compare Danish Erik, German Erich. Possible doublet of Euric.

## What it means

Eric is grouped under king and noble.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 26 | 4,566 |
| 2001 | 13 | 7,874 |
| 2002 | 17 | 6,485 |
| 2003 | 16 | 6,984 |
| 2004 | 29 | 4,638 |
| 2005 | 12 | 9,064 |
| 2006 | 11 | 10,123 |
| 2007 | 10 | 11,085 |
| 2008 | 8 | 12,971 |
| 2009 | 7 | 14,153 |
| 2010 | 7 | 13,925 |
| 2013 | 10 | 10,502 |
| 2014 | 5 | 17,357 |
| 2015 | 5 | 17,272 |
| 2016 | 5 | 17,060 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,751 | 104 |
| 2012 | 3,637 | 107 |
| 2013 | 3,265 | 118 |
| 2014 | 3,323 | 122 |
| 2015 | 3,046 | 138 |
| 2016 | 2,930 | 142 |
| 2017 | 2,782 | 143 |
| 2018 | 2,410 | 160 |
| 2019 | 2,205 | 176 |
| 2020 | 1,917 | 198 |
| 2021 | 1,790 | 213 |
| 2022 | 1,561 | 229 |
| 2023 | 1,547 | 227 |
| 2024 | 1,406 | 252 |
| 2025 | 1,256 | 273 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 193 | 251 |
| 2012 | 220 | 234 |
| 2013 | 219 | 235 |
| 2014 | 301 | 189 |
| 2015 | 338 | 173 |
| 2016 | 390 | 147 |
| 2017 | 456 | 127 |
| 2018 | 470 | 124 |
| 2019 | 451 | 126 |
| 2020 | 420 | 129 |
| 2021 | 437 | 132 |
| 2022 | 435 | 129 |
| 2023 | 363 | 145 |
| 2024 | 308 | 162 |
| 2025 | 300 | 168 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: إِرِيك
- Armenian: Էրիկ
- Bulgarian: Е́рик
- Catalan: Èric
- Chinese: 埃里克
- Czech: Erik
- Danish: Erik
- Dutch: Erik
- Esperanto: Eriko
- Estonian: Erik, Eerik
- Finnish: Eerik, Eero, Erkki
- French: Éric
- Georgian: ერიქ
- German: Erich
- Greek: Ερρίκος, Έρικ
- Hindi: एरिक
- Hungarian: Erik
- Icelandic: Eiríkur
- Italian: Erico
- Japanese: エリック

## People named Eric

- Eric Clapton, British musician
- Eric Cantona, French footballer and actor (born 1966)
- Eric Hobsbawm, British academic historian and Marxist historiographer (1917–2012)
- Eric Abidal, French footballer (born 1979)
- Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist, professor (born 1961)
- Eric Bana, Australian actor
- Eric Idle, British comedian, actor and writer (born 1943)
- Eric Dier, English association football player
- Eric Kandel, American neuropsychiatrist
- Eric Betzig, American physicist
- Eric Dane, American actor (1972–2026)
- Eric Roberts, American actor (born 1956)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.