The main characters of the television series CHiPs (1977-1983) were two motorcycle-riding highway patrolmen of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
One of those two patrolmen was Frank “Ponch” Poncherello, played by actor Erik Estrada. (In Estrada’s case, Erik is short for Enrique, the Spanish version of Henry.)
The show was most successful during the 1979-1980 season, in terms of ratings. Also in 1979, Erik Estrada was voted one of “The 10 Sexiest Bachelors in the World” by People magazine.
So it’s not surprising that the baby name Erik began rising in usage in 1978, and reached peak usage in 1980:
| Boys named Erik | Boys named Eric | |
| 1982 | 3,634 | 19,882 |
| 1981 | 3,923 | 20,724 |
| 1980 | 4,918† | 22,629 |
| 1979 | 4,639 | 20,272 |
| 1978 | 3,265 | 19,781 |
| 1977 | 2,788 | 20,747 |
| 1976 | 2,756 | 21,369 |
(The more popular spelling, Eric, saw a spike in usage in 1980 as well.)
There were also two CHiPs-related one-hit wonders in the baby name data. One was Estrada:
- 1982: unlisted
- 1981: unlisted
- 1980: 5 baby boys named Estrada [debut]
- 1979: unlisted
- 1978: unlisted
The other, Poncho, doesn’t quite match Ponch or Poncherello, but was still likely influenced by the show:
- 1982: unlisted
- 1981: unlisted
- 1980: 5 baby boys named Poncho [debut]
- 1979: unlisted
- 1978: unlisted
Finally, I did manage find a handful of U.S.-born males with “Erik Estrada” as their first and middle names. Most of them were born during the years CHiPs was on the air.
A decade after CHiPs was cancelled, what was Erik Estrada up to? Hosting the “Kebrina’s Psychic Answer” infomercial.
Sources: Erik Estrada – Wikipedia, Ratings – CHiPs Wiki, SSA
Image: Screenshot of CHiPs