Erek
Masculine · “ever-ruler”
Erek is both a Polish spelling and what an American family produces by swapping a c for a k, and the record contains both. The Norse name behind it belongs to the family whose voyages west are described in two accounts that contradict each other.
How old is the name Erek?
Erek first appears in US birth records in 1967 — 58 years ago. The typical Erek alive today was born around 1989, making them about 36 years old. About 600 people named Erek are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Erek most popular?
Erek peaked in 1980, reaching #2003 nationally. See the whole 1980 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Eiríkr to Erek
The story of Erek
Two Icelandic sagas describe the Norse voyages to North America and they do not agree. The Saga of the Greenlanders has Bjarni Herjólfsson sighting the coast first, blown off course and declining to land, with Leif Eiriksson buying his ship and going back deliberately. Eirik the Red's Saga cuts Bjarni out entirely and gives Leif the first sighting, also by accident. They disagree about who led which expedition, how many voyages there were and what happened on them. Both were written down two centuries after the events. The archaeology at L'Anse aux Meadows confirms that Norse people were there and does not settle any of the narrative questions. It is a useful case: two written sources, one real event, and no way to reconcile them.
Meaning
ever-ruler; sole ruler
An Old Norse compound whose first element is read as ever or alone and whose second means ruler. It was a royal name in Scandinavia for centuries and reached England with the Danish settlement rather than with the Normans.
How the name formed
- Eiríkr
- Eric
- Erek
Related forms: Erek · Erik · Erico
Pronouncing Erek
EH-rik
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The k says exactly what the c says in the standard spelling, so the change is visible and nothing else.
Nicknames for Erek
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1967
- Most boys named
- 199030 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2003reached in 1980
- Change vs 2016
- 0.0%6 in 2024, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Erek in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Erek in Polish — related form
- Erik in Swedish — same name
- Erico in Spanish — same name
Ereks among us
people named Erek are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Erek sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Two syllables with front stress is the plainest shape English has.
- The meaning is documented and has not shifted.
- Four letters with no silent ones make it quick to write.
- Eric and Erik are both far commoner and will be written for it.
- The changed letter is inaudible, so the spelling must be given aloud every time.
- It reads as either Polish or deliberately respelled, and strangers will guess.
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What they receive
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Erek
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Ereks are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Erek are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Erek in 2025?
- Erek is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Erek with classmates?
- Erek will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Edward#224 · Eric#273 · Ethan#24 · Eugene#943 · Elijah#7 · Ernest#1038 · Earl#2230 · Evan#153
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Erek? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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