Erika (given name)


The given name Erika, Erica, or Ericka, is a feminine form of Eric, deriving from the Old Norse name Eiríkr. The first element, ei- is derived either from the older Proto-Norse *aina, meaning "one, alone, unique", as in the form Æinrikr explicitly, or from *aiwa "long time, eternity". The second element -ríkr stems either from *ríks "king, ruler" or from the therefrom derived *ríkijaz "kingly, powerful, rich". The name is thus usually taken to mean "sole ruler, monarch" or "eternal ruler, ever powerful".
It is a common name in many Western societies. It is also a popular given name for women in Japan. 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".

People with the name