​
​
Advanced Search

Erik

EH-rik; EH-reek
Spelling variation of Eric, Old Norse
"eternal ruler"
Brynn McKeon
By Brynn McKeon
Updated Mon Mar 24 2025

Erik Origin and Meaning

The name Erik is a boy's name of Scandinavian origin meaning "eternal ruler".

While substituting a C for a K is a modern trend, Erik is in fact the traditional spelling of the name, derived from the Old Norse Eiríkr and introduced to the English speaking world in the Anglo-Saxon period. Now, Erik is popular in Scandinavia and throughout much of Central and Eastern Europe, where it ranks in the Top 100 in Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, and more.

The Erik form remains on style in the UK where Eric feels outdated and both Erik and Erick are preferred in Spain, Latin America, and among Spanish Speakers in the US.

Erik is the least popular form of the name in the US charts, outranked by Eric and Erick - however, all three remain in the Top 500, and when you add all the Eric/ks together, it begins to feel like a name that ranks just outside the Top 100, in tune with August, Myles, Nicholas and Xavier.

Love the Scandinavian feel of Erik? Magnus, Ivor, Ivar, Henning, Halsten, Emrik, or Torkel might provide some further inspiration.

# 455 in the US

Erik Rank in US Top 1000

# 842 on Nameberry

Erik Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Erik

20 Names Similar to Erik

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Erik.

Famous People Named Erik

  • Erik the Red
    the son of Þorvaldr Ásvaldsson
  • Erik Thorvaldsson
    first European to explore North America
  • Erik Estrada
    American actor
  • Erik Per Sullivan
    American actor
  • Éric Alfred Leslie "Erik" Satie
    French composer and pianist
  • Erik Sandin
    member of NOFX
  • Erik Homburger Erikson (born Erik Salomonsen)
    German,American psychologist
  • Erik Ellington
    American pro skateboarder
  • Erik Dean Prince
    American founder of Blackwater
  • Erik Charles Nielson
    American actor
  • Erik Thomas von Detten
    American actor
  • Erik Rico
    American singer,songwriter
  • Erik Durm
    German football player
  • Erik Björnsson
    one of the sons of Björn Ironside
  • Erik Refilsson
    Swedish legendary king
  • Erik Lorig
    pepepeperik Turner, rhythm guitarist of glam metal band Warrant
  • Erik Rico
    American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ
  • Erik Range aka Gronkh
    German game developer and YouTuber

The name Erik in Pop Culture

  • Erik the Red
    fictional character in the Marvel Comics comic book universe
  • Erik
    the Phantom of the Opera, disfigured genius, created by French writer Gaston Leroux
  • Erik J. Smith
    one of the five Guardians from the Norse Bible
  • Erik Von Darkmoor
    fictional character appearing in the novels of Raymond E. Feist
  • Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto
    character in Marvel's X,Men
  • Dr. Erik Selvig
    character in the Marvel Universe
  • Erik Magnus 'Cobra'
    character in manga/anime, 'Fairy Tail'
  • Erik Night
    character in the 'House Of Night' series by PC Cast
  • Erik Wallace
    characher in the "Sims" series
  • Erik Killmonger
    character in the movie "Black Panther"
  • Erik
    character on TV's "Mako Mermaids"
  • Erik Pressman
    Starfleet Admiral in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Pegasus"
  • Erik
    a deer villager from “Animal Crossing”

The name Erik in Nameberry Blog Posts