Gerika
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a blend of Greek elements.
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Gerika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gerika today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerika births was 1988 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerika. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gerika. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
1988
7 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1995 SSA rank
#12,292
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Gerika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerika from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 17 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerika 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 Gerika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gerika
The name Gerika is a variation of the Greek name Erika, which has its origins in the ancient Greek language. The name Erika is derived from the Greek word "erikos," which means "forever" or "forever true." It is believed to have been in use as a given name since the 5th century BC.
In ancient Greek mythology, Erika was the name of a nymph who was associated with the goddess of dawn, Eos. She was said to be one of the attendants who accompanied Eos as she brought the dawn each morning. The name Gerika likely emerged as a regional variation of the name Erika, possibly in parts of Greece or areas influenced by Greek culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerika can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. He mentions a woman named Gerika in his accounts of the Persian Wars. However, it is unclear if this was a given name or a reference to a specific location or region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Gerika or its variants. In the 3rd century AD, there was a Greek philosopher named Gerika of Alexandria, who was known for her work on Pythagorean philosophy and mathematics. Another historical figure was Gerika of Ephesus, a Byzantine scholar and theologian who lived in the 6th century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gerika appeared in various records across Europe. One notable example is Gerika of Flanders, a Flemish noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature. In the 15th century, there was a German artist named Gerika von Bingen, who was renowned for her illuminated manuscripts and religious paintings.
In more recent times, the name Gerika has been less common, but it has been borne by a few notable individuals. One example is Gerika Prandžić, a Croatian poet and writer who lived in the 19th century and was known for her lyrical works celebrating the beauty of her homeland. Another notable Gerika was Gerika Čajkovskij, a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet in the early 20th century.
People
Gerika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gerika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerika 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Gerika a common name?
We classify Gerika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerika most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerika was 1988, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerika is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gerika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gerika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerika 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.
Is Gerika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gerika in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gerika can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Gerika?
You can see how many people have the name Gerika on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.