Erika
Masculine · “ever ruler”
Erika is given to girls far more often — 125,664 girls against 548 boys since 1880. See Erika as a girl name
Erika is the German and Scandinavian feminine of Eric, a Norse name of rulers, spelled with the k those languages prefer. It is three syllables, bright and firm, and it has been one of the most familiar girls' names in several countries at once.
How old is the name Erika?
Erika first appears in US birth records in 1969 — 56 years ago. The typical Erika alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 500 people named Erika are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Erika most popular?
Erika peaked in 1989, reaching #1793 nationally. See the whole 1989 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Eiríkr to Erika
The story of Erika
Erika Mann, daughter of the novelist Thomas Mann, was an actress and cabaret writer who mocked the Nazis on stage; when they stripped her of her citizenship, the poet W.H. Auden, whom she had barely met, married her so that she could have a British passport. In Germany the name has another life: Erika Mustermann is the sample woman printed on specimen identity cards and forms, the German equivalent of Jane Doe. The name is recorded for a very few boys, but it is a woman's name everywhere.
Meaning
ever ruler, through Eric
The feminine of Eric, from Old Norse Eiríkr, joining ei-, ever or alone, and ríkr, ruler.
How the name formed
- Eiríkr
- Eric
- Erika
Related forms: Erika · Erika · Erika · Erica
Pronouncing Erika
AIR-ih-kuh
Stress on the first syllable.
Nicknames for Erika
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
- 1969
- Most boys named
- 198942 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1793reached in 1989
- Change vs 2000
- −27.3%8 in 2004, from 11
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.
Erika in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Erika in German — same name
- Erika in Swedish — same name
- Erika in Hungarian — same name
- Erica in English — spelling variant
Erikas among us
people named Erika 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
Erika 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
- It has a clear meaning and long history.
- It is recognized across many European languages.
- It is familiar without being among the most common names today.
- People will write Erica, and the k will need spelling out.
- A very few boys have been given it; for them it will read as a girl's name everywhere.
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Erika
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Erikas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Erika are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Erika in 2025?
- Erika is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Erika with classmates?
- Erika 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 Erika? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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