Total births
125,664
Girls' name · since 1908
Erika
Erika has 125,664 recorded births since 1908 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1142
- among girls today
- 125,664
- born since 1908
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
125,664 babies have been named Erika since 1908, making it today's #1142 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Erika has been recorded 125,664 times among girls since 1908, currently ranked #1142 nationally and more common than 94% 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 1908 to 2025.
- #1142 among girls today
- 125,664 born since 1908
- 1980s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Erika is currently the #1142 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 125,664 born since 1908, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1142
- among girls today
- 125,664
- born since 1908
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Erika vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1142
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Erika was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
4,569 babies were named Erika in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Erika compares
125,664 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Erika's all-time total is 329x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erika | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 125,664 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,569 | 48 | 19,840 |
Erika's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Erika's full recorded timeline at 1970, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1908, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1990 peak of 4,569 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Erika at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#1,142
Active since
1908
Erika popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1908–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 4,569
- Annual births at peak, across 118 years of records
Erika popularity over time - boys
548 total births recorded since 1969 (Erika as boys' name)
Erika by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Erika's strongest decade.
36,852 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Erika births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 39
1910s
39 births
- 1920s 123
1920s
123 births
- 1930s 171
1930s
171 births
- 1940s 379
1940s
379 births
- 1950s 890
1950s
890 births
- 1960s 5,323
1960s
5,323 births
- 1970s
1970s
24,310 births
- 1980s
1980s
36,852 births
- 1990s
1990s
35,076 births
- 2000s
2000s
16,722 births
- 2010s 4,448
2010s
4,448 births
- 2020s 1,326
2020s
1,326 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 36,852 births (29% of all-time use).
How Erika 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 Erika's total volume
Erika vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Erika by state
Where Erika concentrates geographically, total births since 1908
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 25,081 | 20.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13,038 | 10.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 9,621 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5,673 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Florida | | 5,571 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 4,560 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 4,438 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 4,255 | 3.4% |
California share of Erika's total US births 20.0%
Even split
25,081 of 125,664 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Erika appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erika? ▼
Since 1908, Social Security records show 125,664 babies named Erika. Today it holds rank #1142 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1990, with 4,569 births.
When was Erika most popular? ▼
Erika was most popular in the 1980s decade with 36,852 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Erika most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erika are California (25,081 births), Texas (13,038 births), New York (9,621 births).
How long has the name Erika been used? ▼
Records for Erika go back to 1908, giving 118 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Erika? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erin, Erica, Ericka, Eric, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Erika's data
- Erika's decade-level peak was the 1980s (36,852 total births); usage has since declined to 1,326 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Erikas (25,081 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 Erika
Nearby Names Like Erika
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erika
Erin Girl
#798 316,575 births
Erica Girl
#1494 231,613 births
Ericka Girl
#3911 23,420 births
Eric Girl
4,293 births
Erinn Girl
3,418 births
Compare Erika side by side: Erika vs Erin Erika vs Erica Erika vs Ericka
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erika
Brenda #1141
608,478 births · Peak 1957
Alisha #1143
56,996 births · Peak 1989
Princess #1140
15,975 births · Peak 2006
Ariela #1144
3,841 births · Peak 2024
Dariana #1139
4,338 births · Peak 2000
Gaia #1145
2,434 births · Peak 2023
Safa #1138
2,939 births · Peak 2025
Nathaly #1146
8,139 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, 1908–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Erika: #1142 Girls' Name - 125,664 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erika. 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 Erika 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.