Erika (given name) explained
| Erika, Erica |
| Pronunciation: |
pronounced as /it/
pronounced as /de/ |
| Gender: | Female |
| Meaning: | "eternal ruler",
"ever powerful" (Germanic) |
| Origin: | Old Norse |
| Related Names: | Eric, Erik, Frederica, Frederick |
The given name Erika, Erica, Ericka, or Ereka is a feminine form of Eric, deriving from the Old Norse name Eiríkr (or Eríkr in Eastern Scandinavia due to monophthongization). The first element, ei- is derived either from the older Proto-Norse *aina(z), meaning "one, alone, unique",[1] as in the form Æinrikr explicitly, or from *aiwa(z) "long time, eternity".[2] The second element -ríkr stems either from *ríks "king, ruler" (cf. Gothic reiks) or from the therefrom derived *ríkijaz "kingly, powerful, rich".[3] The name is thus usually taken to mean "sole ruler, monarch" or "eternal ruler, ever powerful".[4]
It is a common name in many Western societies. It is also a popular given name for women in Japan (even though its origin has nothing in common with the Nordic roots of the Western version). Erica is also the name of a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, commonly known as "heaths" or "heathers" in English, and is the Latin word for "heather".[5]
People with the name
- Érika Alcocer Luna (born 1974), Mexican singer, winner of the second generation of La Academia
- Erika Alexander (born 1969), American actress
- Erica Alfridi (born 1968), Italian race walker
- Erika Anderson, American actress
- Erika Araki (born 1984), Japanese national volleyball team captain
- Erykah Badu (born 1971), American singer-songwriter, record producer, activist, and actress
- Erica Banks, American rapper
- Erica Bartolina (born 1980), American pole vaulter
- Erika Billeter (1927–2011), German-born Swiss curator, art historian, writer, and museum director
- Erica Blasberg (1984–2010), American professional golfer
- Erica Bougard (born 1993), American heptathlete
- Erika Buenfil (born 1963), Mexican actress
- Erika von Brockdorff (1911–1943), German resistance fighter during the Second World War
- Erica Campbell, (born 1972), American singer most famous from Mary Mary
- Erika de Casier (born 1989 or 1990), Danish singer, songwriter, and record producer
- Erika Christensen (born 1982), American actress
- Érika Coimbra (born 1980), Brazilian volleyball player
- Erica Cornejo, Argentine ballet dancer
- Erika Cosby, American painter and daughter of Bill Cosby
- Erika Costell (born 1993), American YouTuber, model, and singer
- Erika Cremer (1900–1996), German physicist
- Erika Cuellar (born 1978), Bolivian biologist
- Erika Dickerson-Despenza, American playwright
- Erika Doss (fl. 1980s–2020s), professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame
- Erica Durance (born 1978), Canadian actress
- Erika Eleniak (born 1969), American actress and Playboy Playmate
- Erika Ender (born 1974), Panamanian singer, songwriter and actress
- Erika Fisch (1934–2021), German athlete
- Erika Fuchs (1906–2005), German translator
- Erica Garner (1990–2017), American activist
- Erica Gavel (born 1991), Canadian wheelchair basketball player
- Erika González (born 1972), Mexican freestyle swimmer
- Erika Hamden, American astrophysicist and Assistant Professor
- Erika Hansen (born 1970), American swimmer
- Erika Harlacher (born 1990), American voice actress
- Erika Harold (born 1980), American attorney, politician, and 2003 Miss America
- Erika Henningsen (born 1992), American actress
- Erika Heynatz (born 1975), Australian model, actress, singer and television personality
- Erica Hill (born 1976), American journalist
- Erica Hinckson, New Zealand professor of sport and exercise science
- Erica Jarder (born 1986), Swedish long jumper
- Erika Jayne, dance and electronica artist, actress and television personality
- Erica Johansson (born 1974), Swedish long jumper
- Erica Jong (born 1942), American author
- Erika Kaljusaar (born 1956), Estonian actress
- Erika Kinsey (born 1988), Swedish high jumper
- Erika Kirpu (born 1992), Estonian épée fencer
- Erika Liebman (1738–1803), Swedish poet
- Erika deLone, (born 1972), retired American professional tennis player
- Erica Lindbeck, American voice actress
- Erica Luttrell (born 1982), Canadian voice actress
- Erika Mann (1905–1969), German writer, the daughter of Thomas Mann
- Erika Mann (politician) (born 1950), German politician
- Erika Marín-Spiotta, Spanish-born biogeochemist and ecosystem ecologist
- Erika Mitchell is the real name of author E. L. James (born 1963)
- Erica Morningstar (born 1989), Canadian swimmer
- Erika Nara, Japanese Paralympic swimmer
- Erica Nego, beauty queen, model, and businesswoman
- Érika Olivera (born 1976), Chilean marathon runner
- Erica Packer (born 1975), Australian singer and model
- Erica Parsons (1998–2011), American child abuse and murder victim
- Erika Pluhar (born 1939), Austrian actress, singer and author
- Erika Raum (born 1972), Canadian violinist
- Erica Rose (born 1982), American long-distance swimmer
- Erika Rudolf (1954–2009), Hungarian high jumper
- Erica Sakurazawa (born 1963), Japanese manga author
- Érika or Érika Cristiano dos Santos (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
- Erika Sawajiri (沢尻 エリカ, born 1986), Japanese gravure model, singer and actress
- Erika Schmutz (born 1973), Canadian former Wheelchair rugby player and power engineer
- Erika Slezak (born 1946), American actress best known for her long-running role as Viki Davidson on One Life to Live
- Érika de Souza (born 1982), Brazilian basketball player
- Erika Steinbach (born 1943), German politician
- Erica Sullivan (swimmer) (born 2000), American swimmer
- Erika Toda (戸田 恵梨香, born 1988), Japanese actress
- Erika Umeda (born 1991), Japanese singer and model, former member of Cute
- Erika Vázquez (born 1983), Spanish footballer
- Erika Wendt (1917–2003), German WWII spy
- Erika Yazawa (born 1990), Japanese gravure model, actress and member of Idoling!!!
- Erica Yuen (born 1980), Hong Kong politician, actress, and presenter
- Erika Zavaleta, American ecologist and evolutionary biologist
Fictional characters
- Erika, the eponymous character of the German marching song "Erika"
- Erika (Pokémon), a character in the video game series Pokémon
- Erika (Underworld), a character in the film Underworld
- Erika, a character in the anime series Tōshō Daimos
- Erika, the titular pauper of Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper
- Erica Ainsworth, a character in the manga series Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
- Erika Amano, a character in the manga series A Couple of Cuckoos
- , a character in the anime series Anime-Gataris
- Erika Berger, a character in the novel series Millennium
- , a character in the light novel series The Irregular at Magic High School
- Erica Davidson, a character in the television series Prisoner
- Erica Farrell, a character in the media franchise Degrassi
- Erica Fontaine, a character in the media franchise Sakura Taisen
- Erika Ford, a character in the television series Friends
- , a character in the visual novel series Umineko When They Cry
- Erica Goldberg, a character in the television series The Goldbergs
- Erica Hahn, a character in the television series Grey's Anatomy
- Erica Hartmann, a character in the media franchise Strike Witches
- , a character in the anime series Girls und Panzer
- (a.k.a Cure Marine), a major character in the anime series HeartCatch PreCure!
- , a character in the webcomic Megatokyo
- Erica Kane, a character in the soap opera All My Children
- Erika Kohut, protagonist of the novel The Piano Teacher
- Erika Mishima, a character in the video game series
- , a character in the visual novel Fortune Arterial
- Erica Reyes, a character in the television series Teen Wolf
- Erica Strange, a character in the television series Being Erica
- Erica Sinclair, a character in the Netflix Series Stranger Things
- , a character in the manga series Wolf Girl and Black Prince
- , a character in the anime series Ginga e Kickoff!!
- , a character in the anime series Tsuritama
- Erica Yurken, protagonist of the novel Hating Alison Ashley
- Erica Tselishcheva, candy wrapper collector and piano virtuoso
See also
Notes and References
- Entries "Æiríkʀ", "Æi-", in: Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2002) by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen). Entry "EIN" at Nordic Names. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Erik Entry "Erik"
- Entries "Æiríkʀ", "Ríkʀ" and "-ríkʀ" in Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2002) by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
- Book: The Study of Names: A Guide to the Principles and Topics. 1992. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. 11.
- Book: Manning, John . Paterson-Jones, Colin . Field Guide to Fynbos . 2007 . 224 . Struik Publishers, Cape Town . 978-1-77007-265-7.
