I'm not overly fond of
Erica, but I prefer it to
Heather.
According to the statistics,
Erica was fairly popular in the US from the 1970s through the 1990s. However, the only
Erica I've ever known was a high school friend of mine, and she was born the same year I was, 1960. That was just as
Erica was starting to rise, and it was only #662 that year. So her name was unusual for our age group. All this by way of saying that although
Erica was popular, it doesn't have a dated vibe for me.
Heather, on the other hand, was massively popular in the US, more so than
Erica, from the late 1960s through the 1990s, with its greatest popularity coming in the 1970s. It's the name of my niece, who was born in 1974. And I have known many women named
Heather. Therefore, it has a very dated vibe to me.
And I've never liked
Heather anyway and never understood its popularity. I think the TH sound in the middle is harsh, and I tend not to like names that begin with an H, with really only one exception when it comes to girls' names.
Erica makes me think of the word "earache" and that's why it's not a big favorite of mine, but I prefer it to
Heather. I can see some appeal in
Erica, none in
Heather.