Eric (English)

Where does "Eric" come from?

The male given name 'Eric' comes from Middle English 'Eric', which developed from Old English 'Eoric' and Old Norse 'Eirríkr'[1]. The Old Norse form combines elements meaning 'always, eternal' and 'ruler', or alternatively stems from Proto-Germanic forms meaning 'honor' and 'ruler'[1]. The name was already in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain and was reinforced by Scandinavian settlers before the Norman Conquest[1]. It shares roots with the Proto-Germanic word 'rīks' meaning 'king', which is a borrowing linked to Latin 'rēx'[1][3].

Open questions

• The etymology proposes multiple alternative origins including a combination of honor and ruler or elements signifying eternal rule versus sole rule. [1] [10]

Full etymology tree

• Eric (English), 'A male given name from the Germanic languages.'
  • inherited Eric (Middle English)
    • inherited Eoric (Old English), 'a male given name'
      • inherited Eiríkr (Old Norse), 'a male given name'
        • influenced by (Scandinavian)
        • inherited *Aiwa-rikiaʅ (Proto-Norse)
          • compound *Aiwa- (Proto-Norse)
            • derived *aiwaz (Proto-Germanic), 'long time, age, eternity'
          • compound *-rikiaʅ (Proto-Norse)
            • derived *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic), 'kingly, royal, noble'
              • derived *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
                • borrowed *rīxs (Proto-Celtic), 'king'
                  • inherited *h₃rẽş́s (Proto-Indo-European)
                    • derived *h₃reş- (Proto-Indo-European)
                    • suffix *-s (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives feminine mobile-accented root nouns from roots.'
        • inherited *Aina-rikiaʅ (Proto-Norse)
          • compound *Aina- (Proto-Norse)
            • derived *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
              • inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
          • compound *-rikiaʅ (Proto-Norse)
            • derived *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic), 'kingly, royal, noble'
              • derived *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
                • borrowed *rīxs (Proto-Celtic), 'king'
                  • inherited *h₃rẽş́s (Proto-Indo-European)
                    • derived *h₃reş- (Proto-Indo-European)
                    • suffix *-s (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives feminine mobile-accented root nouns from roots.'
  • inherited *Aizarīkijaz (Proto-Germanic)
    • compound *aizō (Proto-Germanic), 'fear; reverence'
      • derived *h₂oys-éh₂ (Proto-Indo-European)
        • inherited *h₂eys- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to wish'
    • compound *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic), 'kingly, royal, noble'
      • derived *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
        • borrowed *rīxs (Proto-Celtic), 'king'
          • inherited *h₃rẽş́s (Proto-Indo-European)
            • derived *h₃reş- (Proto-Indo-European)
            • suffix *-s (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives feminine mobile-accented root nouns from roots.'

Ancestors

• Eoric (Old English)
• ríkr (Old Norse)
• *aizō (Proto-Germanic)
• *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic)
• einn (Old Norse)
• *rīks (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

• Erik (Danish)
• Euric (English)
• Erich (German)
• rex (Latin)

Sources

1. Eric (English) - Wiktionary
2. einn (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
3. ríkr (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
4. rīks (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
5. rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
6. aizō (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
7. Eoric (Old English) - Wiktionary
8. ainaz (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
9. h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
10. Eiríkr (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
11. rīxs (Proto-Celtic) - Wiktionary
12. h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris