Eric

Last seen for girls in 2016 at #16,215 · #273 for boys in 2025, 1,256 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1976 · 21,359 births
Debut · boys
10 births
In top 100 · boys
61 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
888,891
since 1880

Eric over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #13, 1976boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2731,256
2024#2521,406
2023#2271,547
2022#2291,561
2021#2131,790
2020#1981,917
2019#1762,205
2018#1602,410
2017#1432,782
2016#16,2155#1422,930
2015#16,4195#1383,046
2014#16,5135#1223,323
2013#10,23510#1183,265
2012#1073,637
2011#1043,751
2010#13,4487#954,201
2009#13,7047#954,646
2008#12,5798#865,377
2007#10,81810#835,959
2006#9,90111#776,232
2005#8,88312#666,697
2004#4,60129#617,133
2003#6,88516#567,787
2002#6,39217#527,928
2001#7,72413#448,559
2000#4,52726#429,162
1999#4,87022#399,382
1998#4,95521#399,964
1997#3,16137#3510,317
1996#3,23736#3511,611
1995#3,02238#3212,485
1994#2,41253#3013,311
1993#2,53349#2914,548
1992#2,31856#2616,145
1991#1,91373#2518,051
1990#1,81379#2419,430
1989#1,339115#2118,977
1988#996165#1920,175
1987#993158#2120,203
1986#1,018150#2219,528
1985#950163#2120,844
1984#974148#2220,955
1983#954154#2020,347
1982#1,053137#2019,878
1981#1,060134#1720,712
1980#966153#1622,611
1979#1,010141#1720,268
1978#939150#1619,761
1977#1,060124#1720,745
1976#956133#1321,359
1975#990124#1319,793
1974#908139#1320,193
1973#934130#1320,802
1972#1,000118#1622,027
1971#938137#1822,962
1970#891148#1823,571
1969#940128#2120,747
1968#1,23179#2218,501
1967#1,09790#2317,830
1966#1,18981#2516,475
1965#1,32368#2516,826
1964#1,49757#3214,567
1963#1,75443#3113,278
1962#1,78241#3312,348
1961#1,74243#3811,111
1960#2,30726#4410,539
1959#1,88135#469,726
1958#2,58120#508,190
1957#2,65119#606,621
1956#3,32113#795,252
1955#4,7407#854,660
1954#4,6557#894,169
1953#3,26912#893,929
1952#2,67116#883,989
1951#3,28411#933,664
1950#3,6629#983,095
1949#5,2445#1052,768
1948#5,2435#1142,491
1947#5,2955#1222,344
1946#1341,820
1945#1531,351
1944#1581,195
1943#1611,170
1942#3,7387#182866
1941#199703
1940#249482
1939#258432
1938#286370
1937#309299
1936#310296
1935#320288
1934#340259
1933#351234
1932#399199
1931#385213
1930#408206
1929#406205
1928#403221
1927#419208
1926#409214
1925#410211
1924#406228
1923#463175
1922#424200
1921#458179
1920#445186
1919#426190
1918#412202
1917#413186
1916#447155
1915#436155
1914#394145
1913#413109
1912#39993
1911#49735
1910#42141
1909#43633
1908#43830
1907#49522
1906#36333
1905#46323
1904#58715
1903#32234
1902#38826
1901#37125
1900#51821
1899#45717
1898#35030
1897#33930
1896#38825
1895#43720
1894#41920
1893#53813
1892#45818
1891#41118
1890#53313
1889#38821
1888#55413
1887#54411
1886#60510
1885#46216
1884#54712
1883#55611
1882#6529
1881#5959
1880#60010
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Eric was already there! It came in at #600, and was given to 10 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1884, when fewer than 13 boys a year got the name.

See more about Eric
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 21 spots since 2024 (#252#273)
  • 75 spots since 2020 (#198#273)
  • 135 spots since 2015 (#138#273)
  • Biggest jump: 166 spots in 1889 (#554#388)
  • Biggest drop: 265 spots in 1904 (#322#587)
Rise & fade · boys
96 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1976 at #13 (21,359 births)
  • Births halved by 1997, 21 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 61 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 61 yrs · run 1950–2010
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 73
  • Highest: 1 in 73 boys born in 1976 were named Eric (1.4%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,360 boys born in 2025 (0.07%)
Era · boys
The 1970s
  • 23.8% of all boys named Eric (211,481) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s122#388 (1889)#550
1890s204#339 (1897)#433
1900s262#322 (1903)#438
1910s1,311#394 (1914)#426
1920s2,027#403 (1928)#424
1930s2,796#258 (1939)#337
1940s15,190#105 (1949)#158
1950s53,295#46 (1959)#78
1960s152,222#21 (1969)#29
1970s211,481#13 (1976)#15
1980s204,230#16 (1980)#20
1990s135,244#24 (1990)#31
2000s69,480#42 (2000)#66
2010s31,550#95 (2010)#131
2020s9,477#198 (2020)#232

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Eric in 1956

girls
#3,321
13 births · 1 in 154,439 girls
boys
#79
5,252 births · 1 in 403 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #3,321Eric13

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #79Eric5,252
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 154,439 of them was named Eric, which outranked 51.8% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Eric
  1. #3,186Wendee14
  2. #3,186Willena14
  3. #3,186Yvonnie14
  4. #3,321Eric13
  5. #3,321Acquanetta13
  6. #3,321Adair13
  7. #3,321Adaline13
  8. #3,493Alan12
  9. #3,493Aleda12
  10. #3,493Alfreida12

Tied with 171 names at #3,321; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 993Sheena#1,839#846
  2. 770Glendora#1,733#963
  3. 684Leesa#1,209#525
  4. 543Marisa#1,074#531
  5. 537Dani#1,383#846
Fallers
  1. 513Sheilah#663#1,176
  2. 481Jeryl#768#1,249
  3. 344Jacalyn#496#840
  4. 325Roni#536#861
  5. 314Florine#984#1,298

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 403 of them was named Eric, which outranked 98.2% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Eric
  1. #76Phillip5,414
  2. #77Bobby5,358
  3. #78Jimmy5,345
  4. #79Eric5,252
  5. #80Curtis5,157
  6. #81Albert5,150
  7. #82Louis4,910
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 1,847Jace#2,764#917
  2. 678Rich#1,572#894
  3. 590Broderick#1,273#683
  4. 559Elvis#921#362
  5. 513Tracey#1,419#906
Fallers
  1. 351Adolphus#906#1,257
  2. 336Randolf#949#1,285
  3. 279Cordell#792#1,071
  4. 272Rudolfo#885#1,157
  5. 269Aurelio#949#1,218

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1956