girls' name ★ peaked 1990

Erika

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,109 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

The given name Erika is a female name with multiple meanings of Classical Latin, Old Norse, and Japanese origin.

Rank 2025
#1,109
among girls · ↑34 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
213
named Erika
How common
1 in 7,546
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1990
4,593 babies
All-time total
126,212
#316 all-time among girls
First recorded
1908
in Social Security records

Erika popularity over time

126,212 babies have been named Erika since 1908, 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – #2,213
1910s 39 – 39 4 +680% #2,893
1920s 123 – 123 12 +215% #1,399
1930s 171 – 171 17 +39% #1,488
1940s 379 – 379 38 +122% #1,122
1950s 890 – 890 89 +135% #782
1960s 5,323 8 5,331 533 +499% #225
1970s 24,310 118 24,428 2,443 +358% #91
1980s 36,852 275 37,127 3,713 +52% #73
1990s 35,076 128 35,204 3,520 -5% #74
2000s 16,722 19 16,741 1,674 -52% #123
2010s 4,448 – 4,448 445 -73% #429
2020s (to 2025) 1,326 – 1,326 221 -50% #1,017

Where Erika 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 205 0.13 outside top 500
2027 199 0.12 outside top 500
2028 193 0.12 outside top 500
2029 189 0.12 outside top 500
2030 185 0.12 outside top 500

Where Erika is most popular

Girls named Erika per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.133 per 1,000. Strongest in Colorado, Washington, and Texas.

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 Erika 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
Colorado 25 0.224 +69%
Washington 31 0.215 +62%
Texas 169 0.210 +58%
Indiana 27 0.192 +45%
California 152 0.181 +36%
Florida 77 0.180 +35%
Arizona 24 0.171 +29%
Illinois 37 0.162 +22%
North Carolina 34 0.149 +12%
Kentucky 12 0.140 +6%
Iowa 8 0.137 ≈ national
Maryland 12 0.113 -15%
New York 43 0.109 -18%
Nevada 5 0.108 -19%
Alabama 10 0.107 -20%
Pennsylvania 25 0.106 -20%
Virginia 18 0.106 -21%
Minnesota 11 0.102 -23%
Ohio 22 0.093 -30%
Utah 7 0.084 -37%
New Jersey 14 0.078 -42%
Tennessee 12 0.076 -43%
Georgia 17 0.075 -44%
Michigan 12 0.066 -50%
Missouri 6 0.050 -63%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -63%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Erika

Erika is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,109 in 2025 with 213 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1908, 126,212 American babies have been named Erika. Its peak came in 1990, when 4,593 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Erika stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Erika?

The median living Erika is about 37 years old; half are between 29 and 45. An estimated 122 thousand people named Erika are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

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

Erika 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 213 #1,109 – –
2024 212 #1,143 – –
2023 239 #1,053 – –
2022 190 #1,261 – –
2021 224 #1,104 – –
2020 248 #1,017 – –
2019 295 #903 – –
2018 299 #899 – –
2017 367 #758 – –
2016 383 #745 – –
2015 391 #725 – –
2014 421 #677 – –
2013 460 #611 – –
2012 556 #540 – –
2011 548 #529 – –
2010 728 #429 – –
2009 862 #374 – –
2008 1,017 #331 – –
2007 1,279 #265 – –
2006 1,431 #238 – –
2005 1,617 #216 – –
2004 1,773 #192 8 #8,372
2003 1,818 #178 – –
2002 1,960 #167 – –
2001 2,230 #147 – –
2000 2,735 #123 11 #6,041
1995 3,288 #102 10 #5,626
1990 4,569 #74 24 #2,724
1985 3,503 #80 16 #2,988
1980 3,516 #87 27 #2,018
1975 2,256 #128 18 #2,391
1970 1,941 #171 6 #4,403
1965 419 #467 – –
1960 176 #768 – –
1955 68 #1,224 – –
1950 34 #1,609 – –
1945 22 #1,807 – –
1940 42 #1,122 – –
1935 14 #2,235 – –
1930 16 #2,136 – –
1925 9 #3,465 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 8 #3,222 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Erika

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

  1. 1 Erika Christensen Erika Christensen American actress (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Erika Eleniak Erika Eleniak American actress and model (born 1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Erika Lust Erika Lust Swedish pornographic film director b. 1977 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Erika Mann Erika Mann German actress and writer 1905–1969 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Erika Toda Erika Toda Japanese actress (born 1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Erika Sawajiri Japanese actress, singer, and model (born 1986) Contemporary
  7. 7 Erika Steinbach Erika Steinbach German politician (born 1943) Contemporary
  8. 8 Erika Salumäe Erika Salumäe Estonian cyclist b. 1962 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Erika Araki Erika Araki Japanese volleyball player b. 1984 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Erika Hess Erika Hess Swiss alpine skier (born 1962) Contemporary
  11. 11 Erika Mahringer Erika Mahringer Austrian alpine skier 1924–2018 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Erika?

The median living Erika is about 37 years old. Half of all living Erikas are between 29 and 45 years old.

How many people named Erika are alive today?

An estimated 122 thousand people named Erika are alive in the United States, based on 126,212 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Erika mean?

The given name Erika is a female name with multiple meanings of Classical Latin, Old Norse, and Japanese origin.

How popular is the name Erika in 2025?

Erika ranked #1,109 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 213 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Erika?

126,212 babies have been named Erika in the United States since 1908, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Erika most popular?

Erika peaked in 1990, when 4,593 newborns received the name.

Is Erika a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Erika rising or falling?

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

Will Erika become more popular?

Erika is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 185 girls named Erika 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 Erika?

Well-known people named Erika include Erika Christensen (actor), Erika Eleniak (actor), Erika Lust (film director).

Names like Erika

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

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