Boys' name · peaked in 1980
Erik name popularity since 1925
158,005 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Erik. Half of them were born in 1987 or earlier, so the typical Erik is about 39 years old in 2026. Erik peaked in 1980 as the #64 name for boys, and it ranked #546 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 158,005
- Named Erik, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #546
- for boys in 2025 (549 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 665 girls · 157,340 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 2.16× its national share
Peak year is the year Erik 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.
Erik births per year, 1925–2025
1980 was the biggest year for Erik both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1962 and 1967, Erik became 5.2× more common, from 1 in 4,010 baby boys to 1 in 775.
- Steepest fall: Between 2005 and 2010, its share of baby boys fell by 38%, from 1 in 896 to 1 in 1,440.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Erik's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Erik.
Decade by decade
Babies named Erik 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 | 72 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 232 | #1,401 |
| 1940s | 0 | 857 | #619 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,450 | #495 |
| 1960s | 72 | 14,770 | #145 |
| 1970s | 174 | 32,094 | #87 |
| 1980s | 262 | 36,350 | #87 |
| 1990s | 116 | 33,605 | #111 |
| 2000s | 41 | 22,408 | #183 |
| 2010s | 0 | 10,506 | #337 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 3,996 | #546 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
36.1% of babies named Erik from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Erik is most popular
The index compares Erik'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 Erik.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 2.16× | 504 |
| California | 1.92× | 31,848 |
| Washington | 1.91× | 5,002 |
| Minnesota | 1.82× | 5,204 |
| Nevada | 1.82× | 1,017 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Erik 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Erik (this page) | 157,340 | 1980 |
| Eric | 886,024 | 1976 |
| Eryk | 1,053 | 2001 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Erik's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Erik.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Erik (1980).
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