Erika (given name)

The given name Erika is a female name with multiple meanings of Classical Latin, Old Norse, and Japanese origin.

Erika and the variants Erica, Ericka, or Ereka are feminine forms of Eric, derived 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.

The Latin word erica means heath or broom.^[5] It is believed that Pliny adapted erica from Ancient Greek ἐρείκη.^[6] The expected Anglo-Latin pronunciation, /ɪˈraɪkə/, may be given in dictionaries (OED: "Erica"), but /ˈɛrɪkə/ is more commonly heard.^[7] Erica is the name of a genus of about 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, commonly known as heaths or heathers in English, and is the Latin word for heather.^[8]

Erika (えりか , エリカ) is a common female Japanese given name in Japan. It has multiple meanings depending on the kanji. The Japanese origin of the given name has nothing in common with the Nordic roots of the Western version.