Yerick
A modern masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Yerick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yerick today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yerick births was 2012 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yerick. 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.
People living today
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
2012
24 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,260
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Yerick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yerick from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 141 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yerick remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yerick 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 Yerick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yericks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yerick
The given name Yerick has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, stemming from the Old Norse words "yr" meaning "yew tree" and "ric" meaning "powerful" or "ruler." Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 9th century, during the height of the Viking Age in Scandinavia.
Yerick was a popular name among the Norse and Germanic warriors, as it symbolized strength, resilience, and leadership qualities associated with the yew tree, a sturdy and long-lived species revered in Norse mythology. The name's connection to nature and the warrior culture made it a desirable choice for parents hoping to instill these virtues in their sons.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Yerick was a Norse chieftain who led a band of Viking raiders in the late 9th century. His exploits were documented in the Icelandic sagas, which recount his daring raids along the coasts of present-day Britain and France.
In the 11th century, a monk named Yerick from the Abbey of St. Gall in modern-day Switzerland gained recognition for his scholarly contributions to the preservation of ancient texts. His meticulous copying and annotation of classical works helped preserve invaluable knowledge that might have otherwise been lost during the Middle Ages.
During the Crusades, a knight named Yerick de Montfort (1130-1192) earned fame for his valor and military prowess. He fought alongside Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade and was instrumental in the siege of Acre, a pivotal battle in the campaign to reclaim the Holy Land.
In the 15th century, a Dutch explorer named Yerick van der Decken (1445-1505) embarked on a voyage to the Indian Ocean, becoming one of the first Europeans to chart the treacherous waters around the Cape of Good Hope. His detailed maps and navigational logs laid the groundwork for future exploration and trade routes in the region.
Another notable bearer of the name was Yerick Weissman (1670-1743), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. His calculations and theories helped refine the understanding of planetary motion and paved the way for more accurate predictions of celestial events.
While the name Yerick has faded in popularity over the centuries, its rich history and symbolic meaning continue to captivate those interested in the study of names and their cultural significance.
People
Yerick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yerick as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yerick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yerick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yerick 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 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Yerick a common name?
We classify Yerick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yerick most popular?
The single biggest year for Yerick was 2012, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yerick is about 11 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 Yerick in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yerick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yerick in the SSA data are male. 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 Yerick still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yerick 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 Yerick 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 Americans are named Yerick?
See how many Americans are named Yerick on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.