girls' name ★ peaked 1986

Erica

Meaning en (English) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,399 Trend ↓ Falling 33%

A feminine form of Eric, ultimately from Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual)..

Rank 2025
#1,399
among girls · ↑95 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
156
named Erica · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,303
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1986
10,032 babies
All-time total
232,637
#173 all-time among girls
First recorded
1909
in Social Security records

Erica popularity over time

232,637 babies have been named Erica since 1909, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s 5 – 5 1 – #2,317
1910s 21 – 21 2 +320% #4,436
1920s 58 – 58 6 +176% #2,221
1930s 83 – 83 8 +43% #1,967
1940s 521 – 521 52 +528% #877
1950s 1,537 – 1,537 154 +195% #656
1960s 6,325 14 6,339 634 +312% #208
1970s 49,595 269 49,864 4,986 +687% #32
1980s 93,159 523 93,682 9,368 +88% #31
1990s 55,762 188 55,950 5,595 -40% #36
2000s 18,871 30 18,901 1,890 -66% #102
2010s 4,585 – 4,585 459 -76% #423
2020s (to 2025) 1,091 – 1,091 182 -60% #1,111

Where Erica is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 145 0.09 outside top 500
2027 137 0.09 outside top 500
2028 130 0.08 outside top 500
2029 124 0.08 outside top 500
2030 120 0.07 outside top 500

Where Erica is most popular

Girls named Erica per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.107 per 1,000. Strongest in North Carolina, Florida, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Erica born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Carolina 37 0.163 +51%
Florida 66 0.154 +44%
New York 56 0.141 +32%
Virginia 24 0.141 +31%
Illinois 31 0.135 +26%
California 113 0.134 +25%
Ohio 30 0.126 +18%
Alabama 11 0.117 +9%
Texas 92 0.114 +7%
Massachusetts 13 0.108 ≈ national
Washington 15 0.104 ≈ national
Minnesota 11 0.102 -5%
Pennsylvania 23 0.097 -9%
Michigan 17 0.093 -13%
Oregon 6 0.092 -14%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -20%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -48%
Georgia 12 0.053 -51%
Colorado 5 0.045 -58%
Arizona 6 0.043 -60%
Indiana 5 0.036 -67%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -71%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Erica

Erica is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,399 in 2025 with 156 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1909, 232,637 American babies have been named Erica. Its peak came in 1986, when 10,032 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Erica stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Erica?

The median living Erica is about 39 years old; half are between 33 and 45. An estimated 226 thousand people named Erica are alive in the United States today.

median 39 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Erica year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 156 #1,399 – –
2024 146 #1,494 – –
2023 191 #1,229 – –
2022 177 #1,327 – –
2021 201 #1,199 – –
2020 220 #1,111 – –
2019 245 #1,045 – –
2018 298 #903 – –
2017 326 #835 – –
2016 355 #802 – –
2015 417 #686 – –
2014 437 #653 – –
2013 526 #557 – –
2012 612 #502 – –
2011 624 #475 – –
2010 745 #423 – –
2009 943 #347 – –
2008 1,133 #295 – –
2007 1,366 #256 – –
2006 1,553 #220 – –
2005 1,717 #202 6 #10,498
2004 1,874 #183 11 #6,678
2003 2,092 #159 5 #11,424
2002 2,305 #144 – –
2001 2,668 #129 8 #7,764
2000 3,220 #102 – –
1995 4,893 #69 20 #3,349
1990 8,608 #36 47 #1,709
1985 9,525 #34 61 #1,220
1980 8,760 #34 36 #1,633
1975 4,581 #63 31 #1,641
1970 2,789 #129 13 #2,659
1965 566 #388 – –
1960 234 #664 – –
1955 146 #798 – –
1950 116 #809 – –
1945 66 #944 – –
1940 13 #2,338 – –
1935 7 #3,512 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 6 #4,590 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 5 #4,499 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Erica

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Erica Durance Erica Durance Canadian actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  2. 2 Erica Jong Erica Jong American novelist and poet (born 1942) Contemporary
  3. 3 Erica Cerra Erica Cerra Canadian actress (born 1979) Contemporary
  4. 4 Erica Leerhsen Erica Leerhsen American actress (born 1976) Contemporary
  5. 5 Erica Wiebe Canadian wrestler (born 1989) Contemporary
  6. 6 Erica Jarder Erica Jarder Swedish long jumper b. 1986 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Erica Boyer Pornographic actor, United States 1956–2009 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Erica, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Erica?

The median living Erica is about 39 years old. Half of all living Ericas are between 33 and 45 years old.

How many people named Erica are alive today?

An estimated 226 thousand people named Erica are alive in the United States, based on 232,637 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Erica mean?

A feminine form of Eric, ultimately from Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual)..

How popular is the name Erica in 2025?

Erica ranked #1,399 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 156 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Erica?

232,637 babies have been named Erica in the United States since 1909, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Erica most popular?

Erica peaked in 1986, when 10,032 newborns received the name.

Is Erica a boy or girl name?

Erica is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Erica rising or falling?

Erica is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Erica become more popular?

Erica is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 120 girls named Erica in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Erica?

Well-known people named Erica include Erica Durance (actor), Erica Jong (writer), Erica Cerra (actor).

Names like Erica

Names that sound and feel close to Erica: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Erica with similar names → More names starting with E →