Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. EHR-ik(English) EH-rik(Swedish, German) EH-reek(Spanish)  [key·IPA]

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

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) 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

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Entry updated December 7, 2022