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Erika (given name)

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Erika, Erica
Pronunciation/ˈɛrɪkə/
Italian: [ˈɛːrika]
German: [ˈeːʁika]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameOld Norse
Meaning"eternal ruler",
"ever powerful" (Germanic)
Other names
Related namesEric, 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

References

  1. ^ Entries "Æiríkʀ", "Æi-", in: Nordiskt runnamnslexikon Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine (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. ^ Entry "Erik" at Nordic Names Wiki. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  3. ^ Entries "Æiríkʀ", "Ríkʀ" and "-ríkʀ" in Nordiskt runnamnslexikon Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine (2002) by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
  4. ^ The Study of Names: A Guide to the Principles and Topics. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1992. p. 11.[ISBN missing]
  5. ^ Manning, John; Paterson-Jones, Colin (2007). Field Guide to Fynbos. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-77007-265-7.
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