UK boy's name
Elric
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "noble ruler".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Elric is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Elric popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4107, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 4 births.
This profile covers 4 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2023 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Elric is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 4 living people in the UK are called Elric. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Elric ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 4 boys were registered as Elric.
- • About 4 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elric as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4107
2023
Births in 2023
4
Latest year
Peak year
2023
4 births
Estimated living
4
2026
Meaning
What does Elric mean?
The name Elric is thought to have originated from the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old English words "ælf" (meaning elf or supernatural being) and "ric" (meaning ruler or powerful). It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Elric can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an annual record of important events in Anglo-Saxon England. The entry for the year 871 mentions an Elric who was a thane, or nobleman, in the service of King Alfred the Great.
In Norse mythology, there is a character named Elf-Rick who is mentioned in some Icelandic sagas. This figure is described as a powerful sorcerer and is sometimes associated with the realm of the elves or fairies.
During the Middle Ages, the name Elric was occasionally used in various parts of Europe, particularly in England and Scandinavia. One notable bearer of the name was Elric of Auxerre, a 9th-century French theologian and writer who served as the abbot of the monastery of St. Germain in Auxerre.
In the 12th century, there was an English nobleman named Elric de Lacy, who was a Baron of Pontefract and played a role in the Norman conquest of Ireland. He is mentioned in several historical records from that time period.
Another famous bearer of the name was Elric of Ribe, a 12th-century Danish bishop and chronicler who wrote about the history of the Diocese of Ribe in Jutland. His writings are an important source of information about medieval Denmark.
The name Elric also appears in several works of literature, including the Elric Saga, a collection of fantasy stories written by the British author Michael Moorcock in the 1960s and 1970s. The protagonist, Elric of Melniboné, is an influential character in the genre of sword and sorcery fiction.
While the name Elric is not as common today as it was in earlier centuries, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in various European cultures influenced by the Germanic languages and mythology.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Decades
Elric by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elric was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4107 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Elric
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Elric: questions and answers
How popular is the name Elric in the UK right now?
In 2023, Elric was ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Elric most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 4 babies registered as Elric in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Elric?
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "noble ruler".
How many people are called Elric in the UK?
A total of 4 babies have been registered as Elric across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.