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Eric

Eric: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“eternal ruler”
Origin
Old Norse
Say it
AIR-ik · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From Old Norse Eiríkr, traditionally analyzed as ever or eternal and ruler. Common variants include Erik and Eirik.

English namesScandinavian namesGerman namesNames meaning royaltyClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Eric?

2024421 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Eric in 20241,402

2024 rank#252 boys

Peak year1976

Total US babies since 1880891,929

Eric is fading: recent use is about 49% of its level ten years before.

Names like Eric

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Ericketernal ruler · Scandinavian
  • Eriketernal ruler · Old Norse
  • Erikaeternal ruler · Scandinavian
  • Ericaeternal ruler · Old Norse
  • Erickaeternal ruler · Germanic
  • Ariceternal ruler · Germanic
  • Ericheternal ruler · Germanic
  • Ronaldruler's counselor · Old Norse

Eric questions

What does the name Eric mean?

Eric means "eternal ruler". It comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse Eiríkr, traditionally analyzed as ever or eternal and ruler. Common variants include Erik and Eirik.

Is Eric a boy or girl name?

Eric is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Eric?

1,402 US babies were named Eric in 2024. Its peak year was 1976.

How do you pronounce Eric?

Eric is usually pronounced AIR-ik.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.