Erika (given name)

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]

Erika, Erica
Pronunciation/ˈɛrɪkə/
Italian: [ˈerika]
German: [ˈeːʁiːka]
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameOld Norse
Meaning"eternal ruler",
"ever powerful" (Germanic)
恵 "favour, benefit", 梨 "pear"/里 "village", 香 "fragrance" (Japanese)
Other names
Related namesEric, Erik, Frederica, Frederick

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.
  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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