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Erika

girl name
Origin
Scandinavian
Syllables
3
Peak era
1990s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Erika and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

feminine form of Erik, meaning 'eternal ruler'

One Erika, two histories

Scandinavian · The feminine form of Erik, a Germanic name traditionally interpreted as eternal ruler.

Japanese · A Japanese feminine name written phonetically as えりか or with many possible kanji combinations.

The story

Erika is the k-spelled feminine of Erik, eternal ruler in its traditional gloss, the form preferred across Scandinavia and Germany and, by happy convergence, in Japan, where Erika stands comfortably on its own as a native-sounding name. American use runs at low levels from the 1910s, climbs with the broader Erica wave, and peaks in the 1990s, a step behind the c-spelled crest, easing steadily from there. The k is the whole argument: it signals the name's continental passport, distinguishes its bearer from the Ericas in the next row, and keeps faith with grandmothers from Oslo to Osaka. Botanically it is the same heather as Erica, the same hardy purple bloom on the same windswept hill, just traveling under a different flag.

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Erika across languages

One shared root links 7 names across 3 languages.

Shared root: from Old Norse Eiríkr, traditionally "ever-ruler", carried by Vikings and revived by the Victorians

The constellation

ErikaScandinavian · variantEricEnglishErikScandinavianErichGerman

More branches

ErickEnglish · variantEricaEnglish · feminine formErickaEnglish · variant

How popular is Erika around the world?

In the United States, 1,326 babies were named Erika between 2020 and 2025. In Montevideo, 34 girls named Erika were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

Erika is on the official records of the United States, Montevideo, Norway, Mexico City, Brazil, Spain, South Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, England and Wales, Argentina, Austria, Poland, France and Chile.

United States

1 in 16,000

In the United States, 1,326 babies were named Erika between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1990s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Erika peaked in the 1990s.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Montevideo City

1 in 720 · 2011

In Montevideo, 34 girls named Erika were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 2000

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Norway

1 in 1,200 · register 2026

In Norway, 22 girls were given the name Erika in 2025.

1945peak 2008

share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Mexico City City

1 in 2,300

In Mexico City, there were 51 registrations of Erika in 2022.

peak 20002022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (4 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Brazil

1 in 2,400

At the 2022 census, 84,031 people in Brazil were named Erika, the 366th most common name, with a median age of 31.
Among people named Erika living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1980s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 952 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Spain

1 in 2,500

In Spain, 17,611 residents are named Erika, the 208th most common name among women, with a mean age of 24.8 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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South Australia

1 in 6,100 · 2017

In South Australia, 3 girls were registered as Erika in 2017.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Ireland

1 in 11,000

In Ireland, 5 girls named Erika were born in 2025, the 608th most common name among girls that year.

1964peak 20042025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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Scotland

1 in 11,000

In Scotland, 4 girls named Erika were registered in 2024, the 638th most common name among girls that year.

1974peak 2019

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Canada

1 in 13,000

In Canada, 28 girls named Erika were born in 2024, the 963rd most common name among girls that year.

peak 19982024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

1 in 15,000

In England and Wales, 39 girls named Erika were born in 2025, the 894th most common name among girls that year.

1996peak 2018

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Argentina

1 in 15,000

In Argentina, 44 newborns were given the name Erika in 2024.

peak 20132024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Austria

1 in 15,000

In Austria, 5 girls named Erika were born in 2025, the 742nd most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

peak 19842025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Poland

1 in 16,000

In Poland, 15 girls named Erika were born in 2025, the 298th most common name among girls that year.

2000peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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France

1 in 21,000

In France, about 30 girls named Erika were born in 2025, ranked 1,197th among girls that year.

1900peak 19832025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Chile

1 in 30,000

In Chile, 6 girls were registered as Erika in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19642021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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New Zealand

last on record 2009

Erika is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1970peak 20002025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2020

Erika is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 385 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 20002025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Erika

Most people given the name Erika in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Erika you meet today is most often in her 30s or 40s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Erika

Lisbeth Kristel Kirstin Maren Kari Britta

Where Erika travels

Japanese Brazilian · heather flower, or 'ever ruler' (feminine of Erik); a favorite Portuguese-facing first name that Nikkei-Brazilian parents pair with a Japanese middle name

Mexican American · a crossover favorite popular in the late 20th century

Dual-language · also a genuinely common Japanese given name (written phonetically as えりか or with kanji like 恵梨香), carried by Japanese actresses and singers, not a coincidence of spelling

Keep exploring

Japanese Brazilian baby names · Dual-language baby names · Mexican American baby names

The Erika deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Erika truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Erika fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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