Boys' name · peaked in 1976
Eric name popularity since 1925
890,317 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Eric. Half of them were born in 1980 or earlier, so the typical Eric is about 46 years old in 2026. Eric peaked in 1976 as the #13 name for boys, and it ranked #273 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 890,317
- Named Eric, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #273
- for boys in 2025 (1,256 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 4,293 girls · 886,024 boys
- Most popular in
- District of Columbia
- 1.56× its national share
Peak year is the year Eric made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Eric births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1970. Measured as a share of all babies, Eric peaked in 1976.
- Fastest rise: Between 1938 and 1943, Eric became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 3,000 baby boys to 1 in 1,220.
- Steepest fall: Between 2017 and 2022, its share of baby boys fell by 41%, from 1 in 665 to 1 in 1,120.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Eric's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Eric.
Decade by decade
Babies named Eric in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 1,059 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 2,796 | #321 |
| 1940s | 22 | 15,190 | #153 |
| 1950s | 149 | 53,295 | #85 |
| 1960s | 656 | 152,222 | #25 |
| 1970s | 1,344 | 211,481 | #13 |
| 1980s | 1,477 | 204,230 | #21 |
| 1990s | 464 | 135,244 | #32 |
| 2000s | 149 | 69,480 | #66 |
| 2010s | 32 | 31,550 | #138 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 9,477 | #273 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
36.7% of babies named Eric from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Eric is most popular
The index compares Eric's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Eric.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1.56× | 6,443 |
| Alaska | 1.41× | 1,879 |
| Delaware | 1.41× | 2,628 |
| Vermont | 1.41× | 2,114 |
| New Hampshire | 1.34× | 3,785 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Eric and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Eric (this page) | 886,024 | 1976 |
| Erik | 157,340 | 1980 |
| Erich | 11,341 | 1971 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Eric's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Eric.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Eric (1976).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data