How Many People Are Named Eric?
An estimated 815,564 people in the United States have the first name Eric, ranking it #39 among all first names. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 44 years old, and Eric peaked in popularity in 1970 with 23,721 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Emily (794,841).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Eric as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Eric paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Eric is overwhelmingly male, 4,293 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Eric has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
815,564
About 1 in 420 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
44
years old
Peak Year
1970
23,721 births
Total Registered
891,929
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Eric
Eric is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 891,929 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Eric as a male name
Ranked #251 in 2024
1,402 male births in 2024
Peak: 1970 (23,573 births)
Eric as a female name
Ranked #17,055 in 2016
5 female births in 2016
Peak: 1988 (165 births)
Eric: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Eric span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 212,838 babies were registered. Eric has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Eric by Decade
How has Eric tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 122 | 122 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 204 | 204 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 262 | 262 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 1,311 | 1,311 | 0 | |
| 1920s | 2,027 | 2,027 | 0 | |
| 1930s | 2,796 | 2,796 | 0 | |
| 1940s | 15,214 | 15,192 | 22 | |
| 1950s | 53,446 | 53,297 | 149 | |
| 1960s | 152,872 | 152,216 | 656 | |
| 1970s | 212,838 | 211,494 | 1,344 | |
| 1980s | 205,723 | 204,246 | 1,477 | |
| 1990s | 135,706 | 135,242 | 464 | |
| 2000s | 69,625 | 69,476 | 149 | |
| 2010s | 31,571 | 31,539 | 32 | |
| 2020s | 8,212 | 8,212 | 0 | |
Eric by State
Birth registrations for Eric span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont. On average, about 17,394 Erics were registered per state.
Eric + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Eric as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Eric
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Eric: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eric?
We estimate approximately 815,564 people named Eric are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 420 Americans share this first name.
Is Eric a common name?
Eric is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 891,929 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Eric most popular?
Eric reached peak popularity in 1970, when 23,721 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Eric is approximately 44 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Eric a male name?
Eric is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Eric Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Eric Smith, Eric Johnson, Eric Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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