The given name Eric is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr (or Eríkr in Eastern Scandinavia due to monophthongization). The first element, ei- is derived either from the older Proto-Norse *aina(z) meaning "one" or "alone" or from Proto-Norse *aiwa(z) meaning "ever" or "eternal". The second element -ríkr derives either from *rík(a)z meaning "ruler" or "prince" (cf. Gothic reiks) or from an even older Proto-Germanic *ríkiaz which meant "powerful" and "rich". The name is thus usually taken to mean "one ruler" or "eternal ruler" or "ever powerful," etc.

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) - is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the United States Department of Education. The mission of ERIC is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable, Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information for educators, researchers, and the general public. Education research and information are essential to improving teaching, learning, and educational decision-making.

Éraic (or eric) was the Irish equivalent of the Welsh galanas and the Anglo-Saxon and Scandic weregild, a form of tribute paid in reparation for murder or other major crimes. The term survived into the sixteenth century as eiric, by then relating only to compensation for the killing of an Irishman.