Erica
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "ever ruler, hardy".
Name Census estimates that about 218,226 living Americans carry the first name Erica. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Erica today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erica births was 1986 (10,031 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erica. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Erica is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 1,024 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1980s, recent registration numbers for Erica have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
218K
~ 1 in 1,571 Americans
Peak year
1986
10,031 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2005 SSA rank
#1,487
Tracked since 1909
Gender
Gender distribution for Erica
Out of the 232,485 babies given the name Erica since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Erica as a male name
- Ranked #10,498 in 2005
- 6 male births in 2005
- Peak: 1989 (68 births)
Erica as a female name
- Ranked #1,487 in 2024
- 146 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1986 (9,972 births)
Popularity
Erica: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erica from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 93,684 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Erica by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Erica during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ericas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Erica, while Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,501 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Erica
The name Erica is derived from the Greek word "erike", meaning "heather". It is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, where heather was a common plant found throughout the region. The name was likely given to girls as a reference to the beauty and resilience of the heather plant.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Erica can be found in the works of the ancient Greek poet Theocritus, who lived in the 3rd century BC. In his idylls, he mentioned a character named Erica, though little is known about her significance.
During the Roman era, the name Erica gained popularity as the Romans adopted many Greek names. It is mentioned in several ancient texts and inscriptions, indicating its use among both Greek and Roman families.
In the Middle Ages, the name Erica fell out of favor in most parts of Europe, but it maintained a presence in certain regions, particularly in Scandinavia and the British Isles. One notable figure from this period was Erica the Brave, a 10th-century Norwegian noblewoman known for her courage and leadership during Viking raids.
The name Erica experienced a resurgence in popularity during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy and other parts of southern Europe. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Erica Pio di Savoia (1475-1521), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of her time.
In more recent history, several notable figures have borne the name Erica. These include Erica Terwilliger (1899-1992), an American painter and illustrator; Erica Jong (born 1942), an American novelist known for her work "Fear of Flying"; and Erica Durance (born 1978), a Canadian actress best known for her role as Lois Lane in the television series "Smallville".
Throughout its long history, the name Erica has maintained its association with beauty, resilience, and a connection to nature, reflecting its origins in the ancient Greek word for heather.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Erica
People
Erica + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erica as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Erica: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erica?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218,226 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erica going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,571 US residents.
Is Erica a common name?
We classify Erica as "Common". It ranks above 99.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 232,485 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erica most popular?
The single biggest year for Erica was 1986, when 10,031 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erica is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Erica a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Erica in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.