Total births
231,613
Girls' name · since 1909
Erica
Erica has 231,613 recorded births since 1909 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1986 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1494
- among girls today
- 231,613
- born since 1909
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Erica is the #1494 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 231,613 recorded since 1909.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Erica has been recorded 231,613 times among girls since 1909, currently ranked #1494 nationally and more common than 92% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.
- #1494 among girls today
- 231,613 born since 1909
- 1980s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Erica is currently the #1494 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 231,613 born since 1909, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1494
- among girls today
- 231,613
- born since 1909
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Erica vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1494
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
40% of everyone ever named Erica was born in this single decade.
1986
Single peak year
9,973 babies were named Erica in 1986 - its busiest year on record.
How Erica compares
231,613 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Erica's all-time total is 606x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erica | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 231,613 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,973 | 48 | 19,840 |
Erica's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Erica splits its recorded history at 1973: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1909 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1986 peak of 9,973 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Erica at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1986
Current rank
#1,494
Active since
1909
Erica popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 9,973
- Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
Erica popularity over time - boys
1,024 total births recorded since 1968 (Erica as boys' name)
Erica by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Erica's strongest decade.
93,159 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Erica births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 21
1910s
21 births
- 1920s 58
1920s
58 births
- 1930s 83
1930s
83 births
- 1940s 521
1940s
521 births
- 1950s 1,537
1950s
1,537 births
- 1960s 6,325
1960s
6,325 births
- 1970s
1970s
49,595 births
- 1980s
1980s
93,159 births
- 1990s
1990s
55,762 births
- 2000s 18,871
2000s
18,871 births
- 2010s 4,585
2010s
4,585 births
- 2020s 1,091
2020s
1,091 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 93,159 births (40% of all-time use).
How Erica compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Erica's total volume
Erica vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Erica by state
Where Erica concentrates geographically, total births since 1909
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 28,250 | 12.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 20,561 | 8.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 18,383 | 7.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,565 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 10,553 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,524 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Florida | | 9,553 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,993 | 3.9% |
California share of Erica's total US births 12.2%
Even split
28,250 of 231,613 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Erica appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erica? ▼
231,613 babies have been named Erica since 1909. It currently ranks #1494 among girls. The peak year was 1986 with 9,973 births.
When was Erica most popular? ▼
Erica was most popular in the 1980s decade with 93,159 total births. The single peak year was 1986.
Where is Erica most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erica are California (28,250 births), Texas (20,561 births), New York (18,383 births).
How long has the name Erica been used? ▼
Records for Erica go back to 1909, giving 117 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Erica? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erin, Erika, Ericka, Eric, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Erica's data
- Erica's decade-level peak was the 1980s (93,159 total births); usage has since declined to 1,091 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Ericas (28,250 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 Erica
Nearby Names Like Erica
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erica
Erin Girl
#798 316,575 births
Erika Girl
#1142 125,664 births
Ericka Girl
#3911 23,420 births
Eric Girl
4,293 births
Erinn Girl
3,418 births
Compare Erica side by side: Erica vs Erin Erica vs Erika Erica vs Ericka
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erica
Elinor #1493
21,640 births · Peak 1920
Marissa #1495
120,842 births · Peak 1994
Theresa #1492
404,613 births · Peak 1961
Emryn #1496
1,005 births · Peak 2023
Navi #1491
1,572 births · Peak 2025
Rosalynn #1497
3,533 births · Peak 2020
Journei #1490
2,301 births · Peak 2021
Yuliana #1498
6,670 births · Peak 2007
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, 1909–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Erica: #1494 Girls' Name - 231,613 Births, Peak 1986." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erica. 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 Erica 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.