Erik is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Erik means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Erik across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Erik has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Erik is a boy name of Old Norse origin meaning “ever-ruler”. a Scandinavian spelling of Eric.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 158,126 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,978 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 215 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 31 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 312 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Erik per year, United States (1911 to 2025). United States peaked in 1980 (4,959/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (147/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (21/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2019 (20/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2010 (5/yr).
Erik has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1980, when it ranked #123 nationally (given to 4,968 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
Eric · Erica · Erika · Erick · Ericka · Aric · Erykah · Yuriko
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