Eric
 Title page from 1891 edition of the book Eric, or, Little by Little, whose popularity is credited with increasing the use of the name Eric | |
| Pronunciation | EH rik |
|---|---|
| Gender | male |
| Language(s) | Scandinavian |
| Name day | May 18 (Sweden & Norway) |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old Norse |
| Meaning | "single ruler" |
| Other names | |
| Derived | Eiríkr |
The given name Eric is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr. The first element, ei- is derived from *ainaz meaning "one" or "alone".[1] The second element -ríkr either derives from *rík(a)z meaning "ruler" or "prince" (cf. Gothic reiks) or from an even older Proto-Germanic *ríkiaz which meant "powerful" and "rich".[2]
The most common spelling in Scandinavia is Erik. In Norway, an older form of the name is Eirik is also commonly used [3]. In Finland, the form Erkki is also used. The modern Icelandic version is Eiríkr.[4][5][6]
Although the name was in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain, its use was reinforced by Scandinavian settlers arriving before the Norman Invasion. It was an uncommon name in England until the Middle Ages, when it gained popularity, and finally became a common name in the 19th century. This was partly because of the publishing of the novel Eric, or, Little by Little by Frederick William Farrer in 1858. The Erik spelling is traditional in Scandinavia. Eric is used in French, and in Germany Erich and Erik are both used.
The official name day for Erik and Eirik is May 18 in Sweden and Norway.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Entries ÆiríkR, Æi- and Øy- in Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2002) by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
- ^ Entries ÆiríkR, RíkR and -ríkR in Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (2002) by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
- ^ In november 2008, there were 20,000 men named Erik in Norway (appr. 0.9% of the male pop.) and 13,000 named Eirik (0.8%). Source: Statistics Norway, http://www.ssb.no/navn/)
- ^ Behind The Name
- ^ Etymology Online
- ^ United States Social Security Database