Dictionary

Eric en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɛɹɪk/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English Eric, from Old English Eoric, from Old Norse Eirríkr, Eiríkr (from ei (“always, eternal”, see aye) + ríkr (“ruler”)), or from Proto-Germanic *Aizarīkijaz (from *aizō (“honor”) + *rīkijaz (“ruler”)). Less likely from einn (“sole, alone”) + ríkr (“ruler”), from Proto-Germanic *rīks (“king”, cognate to Latin rēx and Gaulish *rīx). The name was in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain, reinforced by Scandinavian settlers before the Norman Conquest. Compare Danish Erik, German Erich. Possible doublet of Euric.

Meanings

1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.
   • The episode follows two different stories: in one, the show’s resident bigot, Eric Cartman, is outraged to learn that fellow fourth grader Clyde has risen to prominence as a white nationalist podcaster who makes offensive claims about women, Jewish people, Black people and other minority groups to goad them into debating him in exploitative viral videos (“WOKE STUDENT TOTALLY PWNED”). 2025 August 7, Zach Vasquez, “From puppy murder to racist podcasts: South Park’s anti-deportation episode is utterly ruthless TV”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2025:
   • Mark it. Professor Roberts does not like the name Eric. This happens to be one of his given names, and it is a very honorable one. Eric was the first Viking explorer of the North American continent, and this ERIC we hope will be an explorer in the fields of complex therapy. 1959, Roentgens, Rads and Riddles: A Symposium on Supervoltage Radiation Therapy., U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, page 71:
   • In 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 12 of their fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives in the school library. 2012 April 3, Laura Smith-Spark, “Are mass killings on the increase? Criminologist says no”, in CNN, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2021:
   • "What's your name?" "Eric - I mean Williams." "Then why don't you say what you mean?" 1859, Frederic William Farrar, chapter II, in Eric, or Little by Little: A Tale of Roslyn School:

Forms

Deriveds

Ericson

Relateds

Erick · Erica (feminine forms) · Erik · Erique · Eriq · Erich · Erika (feminine forms)

Translations (50)

fi Eero (male given name) · de Erich (male given name) · eo Eriko (male given name) · no Erik (male given name) · be Э́рык (male given name) · da Erik (male given name) · ka ერიქ (male given name) · is Eiríkur (male given name) · ca Èric (male given name) · non Eiríkr (male given name) · cs Erik (male given name) · kl Eerik (male given name) · ko 에릭 (male given name) · fi Erkki (male given name) · fo Eirikur (male given name) · sv Erik (male given name) · la Ērīcus (male given name) · nl Erik (male given name) · uk Е́рік (male given name) · lt Erikas (male given name) · gl Eurico (male given name) · el Έρικ (male given name) · pl Eryk (male given name) · fr Éric (male given name) · sh Erik (male given name) · bn এরিক (male given name) · tr Erik (male given name) · ja エリック (male given name) · hi एरिक (male given name) · el Ερρίκος (male given name) · hy Էրիկ (male given name) · no Eirik (male given name) · ru Э́рик (male given name) · sl Êrik (male given name) · fi Eerik (male given name) · mi Eriki (male given name) · bg Е́рик (male given name) · it Erico (male given name) · pt Érico (male given name) · ar إِرِيك (male given name) · lv Ēriks (male given name) · chr ᎡᎵᎩ (male given name) · es Erico (male given name) · et Eerik (male given name) · sk Erik (male given name) · hu Erik (male given name) · et Erik (male given name) · pa ਐਰਿਕ (male given name) · cmn 埃里克 (male given name) · la Euricus (male given name)