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Origin: |
Eric is the Anglicised spelling of Scandinavian Erik, the younger form of the Old Norse Eiríkr. The first element is either the Old Norse einn "one, alone, unique," or ei "ever, always, eternity." The second element derives from ríkr "ruler, mighty." |
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Usage: |
Erik was prolific in Scandinavia from the early Middle Ages onwards. Dating from the 9th century, there were no fewer than six Danish kings, five Norwegian kings and fourteen Swedish kings to bear the name Erik. Some of the early Viking raiders brought the name with the over to Britain — both Eric "Bloodaxe" Haraldsson (d. 954) and Eric Haakonsson (960s–1020s) were not only governors/kings of Norway, but also the Earl of Northumberland. There are two Erics recorded in the Domesday Book as being landholders in 1066 in Lincolshire (a fortified Viking borough up until the Norman invasion). Both of these men displaced from their landholdings by Norman nobles and only one Eric is recorded as a landowner in 1086. This displacement is symbolic of what happened to the name Eric in Britain in general: it was only in limited usage in the first place, and did not survive the Norman Conquest. It was revived in Scotland from at least the 17th century as Eric, Erick and Arick, most likely because of the close links and proximity Scotland had to Scandinavia at the time. Though it was used in small numbers before, it only came back into popular use in England and Wales in the 19th century. This was perhaps partly inspired by Frederic Farrar's highly successful novel Eric: or Little by Little (1858) though Eric also met the Victorian fashion for medieval names. Data from the Surname Atlas (click to enlarge)
Even by the 1881 UK census, Eric was still predominantly used in Scotland, especially when we look at population per 100,000 people. It is particularly notable that it was most common in the North coastal areas of Scotland which have always had strong Scandinavian ties. Ranks and Births in England and Wales:
Despite Ferrar's novel in 1858, Eric didn't start to rise significantly until the 1890s when it reached the top 100 for the first time, rapidly rising into the turn of the century. It peaked in the 1920s and remained in the top 100 until 1974. In Scotland, Eric ranked #78 in 1900 and was #42 in 1950. It fell out of the Scottish top 100 in 1975. click to enlarge
From 1996 to 2006, Eric's usage remained remarkably consistent in England and Wales going from #280 to #320 with no more than 123 births in any given year. It began to rise from 2009 onwards; slowly at first, but then rising more steeply from #235 (219 births) in 2013 to #189 (301 births) in 2014 which also coincides with the year that Simon Cowell named his son Eric. In 2017, Eric ranked #127 (456 births) in England and Wales and #352 (10 births) in Scotland. |
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Famous Bearers: |
Royalty: * Jorund and Erik, legendary brothers who ruled Sweden in the 5th century. History: * Erik "The Red" Thorvaldsson (950-1003), Norse explorer who founded Greenland. Contemporary: * Eric Sykes, CBE (1923–2012), British radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor, and director. Literature and Other Media: * Erik, the titular character in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. |
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Variants: |
Erik (Scandinavian), Eryk (Polish), Erich (German), Erick, Aric(k) (Scottish) |
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Pronunciation: |
EH-rik [key] |
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Possible diminutives: |
Erry, Rick, Ricky |
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Sibling Names: |
Edith Bonnie Ada Mabel Betsy Winnie |
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Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Holly for requesting this name.
