Boy nameCurrently #251 in the USFalling
Eric
AIR-ik//ˈɛrɪk//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19704 lettersStarts with E
Meaning & origin
Eternal ruler
Eric comes from the Old Norse elements 'ei' (ever) and 'ríkr' (ruler), meaning 'eternal ruler', and was borne by numerous Scandinavian kings, including Erik the Red. Its clean, Nordic strength has made it a durable classic.
Eric's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Eric |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1881 | 9 |
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 16 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 11 |
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 21 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 18 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 20 |
| 1895 | 20 |
| 1896 | 25 |
| 1897 | 30 |
| 1898 | 30 |
| 1899 | 17 |
| 1900 | 21 |
| 1901 | 25 |
| 1902 | 26 |
| 1903 | 34 |
| 1904 | 15 |
| 1905 | 23 |
| 1906 | 33 |
| 1907 | 22 |
| 1908 | 30 |
| 1909 | 33 |
| 1910 | 41 |
| 1911 | 35 |
| 1912 | 93 |
| 1913 | 109 |
| 1914 | 145 |
| 1915 | 155 |
| 1916 | 155 |
| 1917 | 186 |
| 1918 | 202 |
| 1919 | 190 |
| 1920 | 186 |
| 1921 | 179 |
| 1922 | 200 |
| 1923 | 175 |
| 1924 | 228 |
| 1925 | 211 |
| 1926 | 214 |
| 1927 | 208 |
| 1928 | 221 |
| 1929 | 205 |
| 1930 | 206 |
| 1931 | 213 |
| 1932 | 199 |
| 1933 | 234 |
| 1934 | 259 |
| 1935 | 288 |
| 1936 | 296 |
| 1937 | 299 |
| 1938 | 370 |
| 1939 | 432 |
| 1940 | 482 |
| 1941 | 703 |
| 1942 | 873 |
| 1943 | 1,170 |
| 1944 | 1,195 |
| 1945 | 1,351 |
| 1946 | 1,820 |
| 1947 | 2,350 |
| 1948 | 2,497 |
| 1949 | 2,773 |
| 1950 | 3,104 |
| 1951 | 3,675 |
| 1952 | 4,006 |
| 1953 | 3,941 |
| 1954 | 4,176 |
| 1955 | 4,666 |
| 1956 | 5,266 |
| 1957 | 6,639 |
| 1958 | 8,209 |
| 1959 | 9,764 |
| 1960 | 10,560 |
| 1961 | 11,157 |
| 1962 | 12,384 |
| 1963 | 13,320 |
| 1964 | 14,624 |
| 1965 | 16,898 |
| 1966 | 16,553 |
| 1967 | 17,921 |
| 1968 | 18,581 |
| 1969 | 20,874 |
| 1970 | 23,721 |
| 1971 | 23,101 |
| 1972 | 22,149 |
| 1973 | 20,932 |
| 1974 | 20,327 |
| 1975 | 19,920 |
| 1976 | 21,496 |
| 1977 | 20,869 |
| 1978 | 19,913 |
| 1979 | 20,410 |
| 1980 | 22,767 |
| 1981 | 20,849 |
| 1982 | 20,016 |
| 1983 | 20,510 |
| 1984 | 21,104 |
| 1985 | 21,006 |
| 1986 | 19,678 |
| 1987 | 20,361 |
| 1988 | 20,339 |
| 1989 | 19,093 |
| 1990 | 19,508 |
| 1991 | 18,124 |
| 1992 | 16,201 |
| 1993 | 14,597 |
| 1994 | 13,363 |
| 1995 | 12,524 |
| 1996 | 11,646 |
| 1997 | 10,354 |
| 1998 | 9,985 |
| 1999 | 9,404 |
| 2000 | 9,187 |
| 2001 | 8,572 |
| 2002 | 7,944 |
| 2003 | 7,803 |
| 2004 | 7,162 |
| 2005 | 6,709 |
| 2006 | 6,242 |
| 2007 | 5,969 |
| 2008 | 5,385 |
| 2009 | 4,652 |
| 2010 | 4,207 |
| 2011 | 3,750 |
| 2012 | 3,636 |
| 2013 | 3,275 |
| 2014 | 3,326 |
| 2015 | 3,050 |
| 2016 | 2,933 |
| 2017 | 2,782 |
| 2018 | 2,408 |
| 2019 | 2,204 |
| 2020 | 1,917 |
| 2021 | 1,789 |
| 2022 | 1,560 |
| 2023 | 1,544 |
| 2024 | 1,402 |
Eric through the decades
- Eric peaked in 1970, when 23,721 babies were named Eric in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Eric has fallen 54% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Eric currently ranks #251 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Ric
Variants & spellings
Erik
Famous people named Eric
- Erik the Red — Norse explorer