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.
- #218 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #547 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 157,461
- born since 1911
- 1980s
- peak decade
Erik currently ranks #547 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 #547 nationally today, ahead of 96% 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.
- #218 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #547 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 157,461 born since 1911
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Erik ranks #218 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #547 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 157,461 born since 1911, peaking in the 1980s.
- #218 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #547 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 157,461
- born since 1911
- 1980s
- peak decade
Erik's 157,461 recorded births place it above 99.52% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Erik compares
157,461 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Erik's all-time total is 427x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erik | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 157,461 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,918 | 34 | 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 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
1980s is the heaviest window (36,350 births, 23% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Erik sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Erik most popular? ▼
Where is Erik most popular? ▼
How long has the name Erik been used? ▼
What names are similar to Erik? ▼
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
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
Compare Erik side by side: Erik vs Eric Erik vs Erick Erik vs Erich
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erik
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Erik: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1980)
Similar record span (~114 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, 1911–2025 (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 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 August 2026.