Erik

Meaning: Eternal ruler
Origin: Variant of Eric (from Old Norse)

Boy's name · #546 in the US (2025) · 80s wave

Popularity over time

Erik's best rank, #64, came in 1980; it has stepped well back to #546 today. Roughly 157,000 boys have been named Erik since 1911.

Across the states

See where Erik is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 37 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Erik ranks in other countries and regions.

#21 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #33 in Slovenia (2025) · #35 in Denmark (2025) · #40 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) · #50 in Croatia (2025) · #57 in Hungary (2025) · #61 in Czechia (2025) · #64 in Norway (2025) · #76 in Spain (2024) · #80 in Austria (2025) · #94 in Sweden (2025) · #206 in Poland (2025) and 10 more.

Famous Eriks

Erik Axel Karlfeldt — Swedish poet (1864–1931)
Erik Satie — French composer and pianist (1866–1925)
Erik Erikson — American German-born psychoanalyst & essayist
Erik the Red — Explorer and founder of the first viking settlement in Greenland
Erik Lamela — Argentine association football player

In stories & tradition

Erik (Magneto) — The Fantastic Four (TV series)
Erik Killmonger — Jungle Action (comics)
Erik Selvig — Thor (film)

What Eriks become

Among 5,244 notable people named Erik:

No single standout — notable Eriks spread across many fields.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Eric (#273) and Erick (#366), Erik would rank around #135 with about 2,700 births last year — the newborns split about 47/33/20 across Eric, Erick, and Erik.

Similar names: Erick · Derek · Eros · Roberto · Ernesto · Corey

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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