Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɛɹ.ɪk/(English) /ˈeː.rɪk/(Swedish) /ˈeː.ʁɪk/(German) /ˈe.ɾik/(Spanish)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Means "ever ruler", from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, derived from the elements ei "ever, always" and ríkr "ruler, king". A notable bearer was Eiríkr inn Rauda (Eric the Red in English), a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of several early kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

This common Norse name was first brought to England by Danish settlers during the Anglo-Saxon period. It was not popular in England in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, in part due to the children's novel Eric, or Little by Little (1858) by Frederic William Farrar.

Related Names

Rootsei + ríkr
VariantsAric, Erick, Erik(English) Erik(Swedish) Erich, Erik(German) Erik(Spanish)
Feminine FormsErica, Ericka, Erika, Erykah(English) Erica, Erika(Swedish)
Other Languages & CulturesÈric(Catalan) Erik(Croatian) Erik(Czech) Erik, Jerrik(Danish) Erik(Dutch) Eerik, Eero, Erik, Erkki(Estonian) Eerik, Eerikki, Eero, Erik, Erkki(Finnish) Éric(French) Aiwareiks, Euric(Gothic) Erik(Hungarian) Eiríkur(Icelandic) Ēriks(Latvian) Erikas(Lithuanian) Erik(Medieval Scandinavian) Eirik, Erik(Norwegian) Eiríkr(Old Norse) Eryk(Polish) Érico(Portuguese) Erik(Slovak) Erik(Slovene)
Surname DescendantsErickson, Ericson(English) Ericson, Ericsson(Swedish)
Same SpellingÉric, Èric

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   wholesome   strong   refined   simple   serious  

Images

17th-century depiction of Eric the Red17th-century depiction of Eric the Red

Categories

American Horror Story characters, Anne Rice characters, Aphmau characters, asteroids, Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, Black Clover characters, boxers, Braxton family, bullies, Castlevania characters, child actors, composers, country music singers, Dharma and Greg characters, Discworld characters, Disney characters, Divergent characters, Dr. Seuss characters, Dragon Quest characters, eternity, explorers, Family Affair characters, Family Ties characters, Frasier characters, Fringe characters, God Eater characters, guitarists, Heroes NBC characters, House of Anubis characters, House of Cards US characters, Hunters characters, Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, isograms, Keeping Up Appearances characters, Killing Eve characters, Kim Possible characters, Kingdom Hearts characters, kings, leadership, Lewis Carroll characters, literature, Lord of the Flies characters, love island Quebec, love island US, Malcolm in the Middle characters, metal musicians, My Candy Love characters, NCIS characters, Never Have I Ever characters, never out of the US top 1000, Once Upon a Time characters, Philip K. Dick characters, power, Power Rangers characters, princes, Quantico characters, reggae musicians, Rick and Morty characters, rulers, saints, scientists, sculptors, Sex Education characters, Shining characters, Sims 4 characters, skiffle, songwriters, South Park characters, Squishmallows, Stephen King characters, Stranger Things characters, Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, television, tennis players, The Sopranos characters, The West Wing characters, Tokyo Vice characters, top 10 in Catalonia, top 10 in Tahiti, Tori Amos lyrics, Tori Amos songs, True Blood characters, Twilight characters, Two and a Half Men characters, vampires, Virtua Tennis opponent characters, WITCH characters, X-Men, Yakusoku no Neverland characters, YouTubers
Entry updated December 7, 2022