Eric in Chinese
How to write Eric in Chinese, how to say it, and real Chinese names picked for it.
Eric, written by sound
埃里克
Āilǐkè
- 埃āi“dust”
- 里lǐ
- 克kè“overcome”
This is how Eric is written by sound: in the news, on maps and in translated books. Each character is there for its sound, so their meanings don't add up to anything.
You'll also see 艾瑞克, the everyday spelling.
But it isn't a Chinese name. Chinese parents choose a name for what it means, like the ones below.
Real Chinese names for Eric
None of these sounds quite like Eric, but each one is a real name Chinese parents give, with a meaning of its own. Tap the buttons to hear a character, watch it written, or write it yourself.
Classic name
立言Lìyán
words that last
lì
to stand tall
yán
words
Poetic name
灵均Língjūn
spirit and balance (the poet Qu Yuan's courtesy name)
líng
clever, lively
jūn
balanced, equal
Poetic name
千里Qiānlǐ
a thousand miles
qiān
thousand
lǐ
mile (li)
Stroke order follows the mainland China standard; a few characters are written differently in Taiwan.
Get your own Chinese name
Eric, get eight real names in the style you like (classic, poetic, wuxia…) and pick the one that feels like you. It takes a minute.
How Chinese names work
The family name comes first, and it is almost always one character: 王 Wáng, 李 Lǐ, 林 Lín. A few have two, like 欧阳 Ōuyáng.
The given name follows: one or two characters, chosen for what they mean. A virtue, a flower, a wish from the parents.
So with a family name in front, 立言 becomes a full name such as 林立言 (Lín Lìyán).
About the name Eric
In the US, Eric was the 29th most popular boys’ name of the 1990s. In England and Wales it was number 280 in 1996 and is number 168 in 2025.
Sources: US Social Security Administration, Office for National Statistics (UK).