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

Fictional characters

See also

Notes and References

  1. 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.
  2. http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Erik Entry "Erik"
  3. 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).
  4. Book: The Study of Names: A Guide to the Principles and Topics. 1992. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. 11.
  5. Book: Manning, John . Paterson-Jones, Colin . Field Guide to Fynbos . 2007 . 224 . Struik Publishers, Cape Town . 978-1-77007-265-7.