Meaning: Its source is ei rikr, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Complete ruler."

Languages: This girl's name is used in German, English, Japanese, Hungarian, Czech, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

Compound Forms: Sharika and Sherika

Popularity: The name Erika ranked 153rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 298th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists of the 1990s, and has been trending upward in usage ever since.

Narrative: By coincidence, the Latin term for the herb Heather is spelled erica, and some botanically-oriented parents might name their children with this association in mind.