Given name & surname
Erik
“ever the ruler”
In Finnish use, Erik has a related form in Eric. One Scandinavian interpretation is “ever the ruler.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Finnish use, Erik has a related form in Eric. One Scandinavian interpretation is “ever the ruler.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Finnish use, Erik has a related form in Eric. An origin associated with Eric is Old Norse.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Slovak usage, Erik developed from Eiríkr.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Erik through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 158,126
- 157,461 boys · 665 girls
- Most popular year
- 1980
- 4,959 babies
- 2025
- 549
- #546 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 549 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 546 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,918 in 1980. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (97). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 137,631 as a first name in 2020; 152 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Erik’s family of names
In Czech usage, Erik has a diminutive in Eríček. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Erik shares a linguistic root with the English form Eric. In German usage, Erik has a related form in Erica.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Erik has relatives in 21 languages.
31 related names in 21 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Ericvariant · Swedish, English
- Erickvariant · English
- Erikavariant · Finnish, German
- Ericavariant · German
- Erichvariant · German
- Eerovariant · Finnish, Estonian
- Eirikvariant · Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk
- Erriklikely variant
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Erikklikely variant
- Eriqvariant · English
- Eriquevariant · English
- Eerikkivariant · Finnish
- Eriikavariant · Finnish
- Erkovariant · Estonian
- Erkivariant · Estonian
- Eerikvariant · Finnish, Estonian
- Erkkivariant · Finnish
- Jerkervariant · Swedish
- Eiríkurvariant · Icelandic
- Éricvariant · French
- Eerikavariant · Finnish
- Eríčekdiminutive · Czech
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 41
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Henryequivalent
- Enriqueequivalent
- Harryequivalent
- Haroldequivalent
- Henrikequivalent
- Henriequivalent
- Hendrikequivalent
- Arikequivalent
Show 33 moreShow fewer
- Henriqueequivalent
- Henrykequivalent
- Enricoequivalent
- Heinrichequivalent
- Haraldequivalent
- Eriksen“son of” surname · Danish
- ErykPolish
- Eriksson“son of” surname · Norwegian Bokmål
- Enricequivalent
- Hendricequivalent
- Henrichequivalent
- Heinzequivalent
- Henkequivalent
- Heinequivalent
- Jindřichequivalent
- Henricusequivalent
- ЭрикRussian
- ÉricoPortuguese
- Euricdoublet · English
- Henrikasequivalent
- Èricequivalent
- Henrihequivalent
- Hendricusequivalent
- Henkeequivalent
- Erkkaequivalent
- Henkleequivalent
- Andrinequivalent
- Ericusequivalent
- Hinrichequivalent
- Hynekequivalent
- Hinnerkequivalent
- Eiríkrolder form · Old Norse
- Eirikurcognate · Faroese
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Erik
- Erik Axel KarlfeldtSwedish poet (1864–1931)
- Erik SatieFrench composer and pianist (1866-1925)
- Erik EriksonAmerican German-born psychoanalyst & essayist1902–1994
- Erik the Redexplorer and founder of the first viking settlement in Greenland950–1003
- Erik LamelaArgentine association football playerborn 1992
- Erik XIVSwedish king (1533-1577)
- Erik ten HagDutch football managerborn 1970
- Erik of PomeraniaKing of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Kalmar Union1381–1459
- Olof MellbergSwedish football manager (born 1977)
Characters named Erik: Erik Killmonger (Marvel Comics supervillain), Erik Selvig (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Erik (Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Erik, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cedric
Cedric has an unusually traceable literary beginning: Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
>99% boys
Cedrick
Cedrick is a variant of Cedric. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
>99% boys
Orlando
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Brett
“woman of Britain or Brittany” · “a man from Britain or Brittany”
94% boys · 6% girls
Fedryk
Fedryk is a variant of Fedrick. In American use, Fedrick carries the interpretation “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
—
Fedryc
Fedryc is a variant of Fedrick. In American use, Fedrick carries the interpretation “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
—
Cedryk
Cedryk is a variant of Cedric. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
—
Fedrik
Fedrik is a variant of Fedrick. In American use, Fedrick carries the interpretation “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
—