[name]Hi[/name], I really wanted to use [name]Erika[/name] for my baby girl, but I looked on Nameberry’s comments and it says that [name]Erica[/name]/[name]Erika[/name] is really dated. I was under the impression that this was a classic Scandinavian name; it has been around for centuries. I’d really love to use it as it is in our family tree and represents our Swedish heritage well. What do you all think? Does is seem dated?
Thanks!
I think that the first thing you have to think of is how much you love it! For what it is worth, I know only one [name]Erica[/name] ([name]Erica[/name] [name]Ann[/name], my younger sister) and she never had the issue of a bunch of other Ericas/Erikas in her class, etc. I like the name, but of course I have positive associations with it so probably am biased 
I don’t think [name]Erica[/name] was really ever popular enough to feel “dated.” I teach high school, and I have one [name]Erica[/name] this year-- that’s the first time in my six-year career. I think it’s uncommon enough to still be fresh and sweet for your little baby. (And though you didn’t ask, I think the ‘c’ is better than ‘k’ for a girl-- feels a bit daintier.)
It’s ready for a comeback
I like [name]Erika[/name]
I would use a dated name if I loved it enough, myself. I too, prefer [name]Erica[/name] over [name]Erika[/name] but have no major problem with either name. I’d probably be pleasantly surprised to meet a little [name]Erika[/name]/[name]Erica[/name] for real. I wouldn’t worry about what reactions I found on a website, I’d run the name past people I knew as a general question “What do you think of [name]Erika[/name]/[name]Erica[/name]?” If the people I knew in real life hated it, I’d have more of a problem than if strangers online hated it. I named my daughter a name that got a lot of “ugly, old lady, wrinkly awful mothbally name” comments online. What really counts is how myself and her father feel about her name. peripherally, her brothers, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents and then friends. After that, I don’t care who likes or dislikes a name I like.
I hope that made some sense and that it helped.
[name]Erica[/name] was a Top 50 name from the late 70s till the early 90s, when it started dropping on the charts. So over 15 years it was about as popular as [name]Julia[/name] or [name]Kaylee[/name] or [name]Gabriella[/name] is today. That means there are a lot of Ericas out there, most of them in their late teens to early 30s. The real question is: [name]Do[/name] you care? If you love [name]Erika[/name] (always the more unusual spelling) and it has family significance, of course you should choose it! My own older son is named [name]Joseph[/name] which has been in the Top 20 since the beginning of time but I love the name and it has strong family meaning and he rarely meets another [name]Joe[/name] or [name]Joseph[/name].
I see it as dated, but it doesn’t mean you can’t use it if you love it.