Erika

Erika is the preferred spelling within Germany, most of Scandinavia and Slavic countries. This name is the female equivalent of the Scandinavian male name Erik which hails from the Old Norse Eirik. Eirik is derived from the North Germanic element “ei” (meaning ‘ever, always’) and “ríkr” (meaning ‘ruler’). The masculine name was introduced to England by Scandinavian settlers during the Viking Age (8th to 12th centuries); although, the female version of the name wasn’t coined until the 18th century. Like Erik (with a “k” instead of a “c”), Erika seems to be the more popular spelling among Nordic and Slavic people, as well as within Germany. Interestingly, Erika is also a popular name in Spain and the autonomous region of Catalonia. Then again, the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by several Germanic tribes throughout the course of its history, first the Vandals and then the Visigoths most notably, and therefore influenced by names of Germanic and/or Nordic origins (the Norsemen were a North Germanic tribe themselves). Erica tends to be the Latinized and Western European spelling of the name, while Erika is more common among Eastern Europeans. We are also compelled to mention a historically notorious Nazi Germany military marching song called “Erika” first composed in the 1930s and used widely during WWII. If you can separate yourself from the song’s propaganda origins during the most shameful period of Germany’s history, the lyrics are actually quite lovely. “On the heath a little flower blooms and it's called: Erika. / Hot from a hundred thousand little bees that swarm over Erika / because her heart is full of sweetness.”