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The short answer
Eric is a masculine name used in English and Swedish. Behind the Name describes it this way: "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." It ranked #273 for boys in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, 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. The entry lists its usage as English, Swedish, German, Spanish.
Editorial confidence: established
Popularity
Eric ranked #273 for boys in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #273 | ssa-2025 |
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (English) and that sit near Eric in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Eric mean?
Eric means "ever ruler", according to Behind the Name.
Is Eric a popular name?
Eric ranked #273 for boys in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Eric a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Eric appears in the boys' list; Behind the Name labels it masculine.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Eric — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
