Eric
Boy nameEric has been given to 893,184 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1970 and currently ranks #273 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈɛɹɪk/
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.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
893,184
Peak year
1970 (23,719 babies)
Rank in 2025
#273 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -59%
Gender split
0% girls / 100% boys
Famous people named Eric
George Orwell
British writer and journalist (1903–1950)
Eric Clapton
British musician
Jamie Foxx
American actor, comedian, and singer (born 1967)
Eric Hobsbawm
British academic historian and Marxist historiographer (1917–2012)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Eric.
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