Boys' name · since 1880
Eric
Eric has 888,891 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1970 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #35 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #273 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 888,891
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
888,891 babies have been named Eric since 1880, making it today's #273 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Eric recorded 888,891 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #273 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #35 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #273 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 888,891 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Eric ranks #35 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #273 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 888,891 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #35 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #273 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 888,891
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Eric's 888,891 recorded births place it above 99.92% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Eric compares
888,891 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Eric's all-time total is 2,409x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Eric | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 888,891 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 23,571 | 34 | 22,252 |
Eric's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Eric's full recorded timeline at 1953, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 9 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1970 peak of 23,571 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Eric popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 23,571
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Eric popularity over time - girls
4,293 total births recorded since 1942 (Eric as girls' name)
Eric by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (211,481 births, 24% of the file).
1970s was Eric's strongest decade.
211,481 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Eric births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 122
1880s
122 births
- 1890s 204
1890s
204 births
- 1900s 262
1900s
262 births
- 1910s 1,311
1910s
1,311 births
- 1920s 2,027
1920s
2,027 births
- 1930s 2,796
1930s
2,796 births
- 1940s 15,190
1940s
15,190 births
- 1950s 53,295
1950s
53,295 births
- 1960s
1960s
152,222 births
- 1970s
1970s
211,481 births
- 1980s
1980s
204,230 births
- 1990s
1990s
135,244 births
- 2000s 69,480
2000s
69,480 births
- 2010s 31,550
2010s
31,550 births
- 2020s 9,477
2020s
9,477 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 211,481 births (24% of all-time use).
How Eric compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Eric's total volume
Eric by state
Where Eric concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 114,747 | 12.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 73,771 | 8.3% |
| #3 | Texas | | 56,443 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 48,783 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 48,128 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 45,560 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 40,857 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 30,583 | 3.4% |
114,747 of 888,891 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Eric appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Eric? ▼
Where does Eric sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Eric most popular? ▼
Where is Eric most popular? ▼
How long has the name Eric been used? ▼
What names are similar to Eric? ▼
What to do with Eric's data
- Eric's decade-level peak was the 1970s (211,481 total births); usage has since declined to 9,477 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Erics (114,747 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Eric
Nearby Names Like Eric
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Eric
Compare Eric side by side: Eric vs Erik Eric vs Erick Eric vs Erich
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Eric
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Eric: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1970)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Eric draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.