Erika

Did you know?

A few things about Erika you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Erika

Erika Eleniak

American-Canadian actress of Estonian-Ukrainian descent (born 1969)

Choose Erika and your child shares a first name with Erika Eleniak, an American-Canadian actress of Estonian-Ukrainian descent. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Erika, like who?” Erika Eleniak's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Erika Eleniak on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 7,547 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Erika, 213 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Erika would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryErika first shows up in US birth records in 1908, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 117 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1989, when it ranked #73. Today it's #1,109, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowErika was 11× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 664 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 7,547.
• 🍂TrendErika has slipped 94 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,109. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedErika is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #539, followed by Washington (#617) and North Carolina (#684). It's in the top 1,000 in 10 states.
• 💬MeaningErika is a Scandinavian form of Eric, which means “eternal ruler”. Our records link it to Old Norse and Scandinavian roots.
• 🌍OriginErika is the #8 most popular Old Norse girl name in the US. That's out of 40 Old Norse girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Erika

Erika is a girl name of Old Norse and Scandinavian origin meaning “eternal ruler”. It has 5 letters and 3 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-ika”. US birth records list Erika for girls from 1908 to 2025, in 111 of those 118 years. Its best year was 1989, when it ranked #73 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,109, with 213 babies.

Origin:Old Norse namesScandinavian names