Total births
157,461
Boys' name · since 1911
Erik
Since 1911, U.S. Social Security records show 157,461 babies named Erik, peaking in 1980. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #477
- among boys today
- 157,461
- born since 1911
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Erik currently ranks #477 among boys' names in America, with 157,461 babies recorded since 1911.
Social Security Administration records show Erik recorded 157,461 times among boys since 1911, holding rank #477 nationally today, ahead of 97% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1911 to 2025.
- #477 among boys today
- 157,461 born since 1911
- 1980s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Erik is currently the #477 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 157,461 born since 1911, peaking in the 1980s.
- #477
- among boys today
- 157,461
- born since 1911
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Erik vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#477
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Erik was born in this single decade.
1980
Single peak year
4,918 babies were named Erik in 1980 - its busiest year on record.
How Erik compares
157,461 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Erik's all-time total is 429x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erik | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 157,461 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,918 | 23 | 22,252 |
Erik's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Erik splits its recorded history at 1970: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1911 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1980 peak of 4,918 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Erik at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1980
Current rank
#477
Active since
1911
Erik popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1911–2025
- Peak year (1980)
- 4,918
- Annual births at peak, across 115 years of records
Erik popularity over time - girls
665 total births recorded since 1964 (Erik as girls' name)
Erik by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Erik's strongest decade.
36,350 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Erik births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 52
1910s
52 births
- 1920s 141
1920s
141 births
- 1930s 232
1930s
232 births
- 1940s 857
1940s
857 births
- 1950s 2,450
1950s
2,450 births
- 1960s
1960s
14,770 births
- 1970s
1970s
32,094 births
- 1980s
1980s
36,350 births
- 1990s
1990s
33,605 births
- 2000s
2000s
22,408 births
- 2010s 10,506
2010s
10,506 births
- 2020s 3,996
2020s
3,996 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 36,350 births (23% of all-time use).
How Erik 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 Erik's total volume
Erik vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Erik by state
Where Erik concentrates geographically, total births since 1911
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 31,751 | 20.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,772 | 8.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 11,732 | 7.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 9,441 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,889 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,884 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 5,340 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 5,204 | 3.3% |
California share of Erik's total US births 20.2%
Even split
31,751 of 157,461 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Erik appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erik? ▼
Erik has been given to 157,461 babies in the U.S. since 1911, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #477 as of the latest data. 4,918 babies were born in 1980, its single highest year.
When was Erik most popular? ▼
Erik was most popular in the 1980s decade with 36,350 total births. The single peak year was 1980.
Where is Erik most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erik are California (31,751 births), Texas (12,772 births), New York (11,732 births).
How long has the name Erik been used? ▼
Erik has been recorded in Social Security data since 1911, spanning 115 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Erik? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Eric, Erick, Erich, Erin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Erik's data
- Erik's decade-level peak was the 1980s (36,350 total births); usage has since declined to 3,996 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Eriks (31,751 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 Erik
Nearby Names Like Erik
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erik
Eric Boy
#252 888,891 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 Erik side by side: Erik vs Eric Erik vs Erick Erik vs Erich
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erik
Odin #476
13,282 births · Peak 2022
Kendrick #478
33,557 births · Peak 2013
Yusuf #475
11,455 births · Peak 2025
Marcos #479
53,580 births · Peak 2001
Corbin #474
41,112 births · Peak 2014
Brantley #480
31,634 births · Peak 2014
Asa #473
21,166 births · Peak 2022
Callen #481
9,501 births · Peak 2023
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, 1911–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Erik: #477 Boys' Name - 157,461 Births, Peak 1980." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erik. 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 Erik 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.