Total births
888,891
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.
- #252
- among boys today
- 888,891
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
888,891 babies have been named Eric since 1880, making it today's #252 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Eric recorded 888,891 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #252 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.
- #252 among boys today
- 888,891 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Eric is currently the #252 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 888,891 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #252
- among boys today
- 888,891
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Eric vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#252
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Eric was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
23,571 babies were named Eric in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Eric compares
888,891 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 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 2,422x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Eric | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 888,891 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 23,571 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1970
Current rank
#252
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Eric's total US births 12.9%
Even split
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? ▼
Eric has been given to 888,891 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #252 as of the latest data. 23,571 babies were born in 1970, its single highest year.
When was Eric most popular? ▼
Eric was most popular in the 1970s decade with 211,481 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Eric most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Eric are California (114,747 births), New York (73,771 births), Texas (56,443 births).
How long has the name Eric been used? ▼
Eric has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Eric? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erik, Erick, Erich, Erin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Erik Boy
#477 157,461 births
Erick Boy
#333 79,463 births
Erich Boy
#5670 11,674 births
Erin Boy
#3535 9,478 births
Eriberto Boy
#11067 2,404 births
Compare Eric side by side: Eric vs Erik Eric vs Erick Eric vs Erich
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Eric
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Eric: #252 Boys' Name - 888,891 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/eric. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.