| Eric | Magnus | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | ever-ruler | Great |
| Origin | norse | Norse |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EH-rik | MAG-nus |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1890 |
| Peak year | 1970 (23,571) | 2021 (354) |
| In 2025 | 1,256 | 337 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eric | Magnus |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,477 | 1,989 |
| 2010s | 31,550 | 2,389 |
| 2000s | 69,480 | 1,028 |
| 1990s | 135,244 | 212 |
| 1980s | 204,230 | 74 |
| 1970s | 211,481 | 30 |
| 1960s | 152,222 | 18 |
| 1950s | 53,295 | 39 |
| 1940s | 15,190 | 23 |
| 1930s | 2,796 | 66 |
| 1920s | 2,027 | 132 |
| 1910s | 1,311 | 122 |
| 1900s | 262 | 29 |
| 1890s | 204 | 21 |
| 1880s | 122 | 0 |
From Old Norse 'Eirikr', usually read as 'ei' ('ever, always') + 'rikr' ('ruler'), giving 'ever-ruler' or 'sole ruler'. Note: 'ruler/powerful', not literally 'king' — the second element is the Germanic 'ric' (ruler/power).
Magnus comes from the Latin for “great,” long popular across Scandinavia.
Eric is more popular than Magnus today: about 1,256 US babies were given the name Eric in 2025, compared with 337 named Magnus.
Eric means ever-ruler (norse origin), while Magnus means Great (Norse origin).
In US records, Eric first appears in 1880 and Magnus in 1890, so Eric has the longer recorded history.