Irene
Irene was the 651st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 442 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 16th; the most babies were born in 1921 (10,624). Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Irene in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning peace (Greek) · Greek, French
Say it eye-REEN /aɪˈrin/
- Rank in 2025
- #651 girls, down 31 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 442girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192110,624 babies
- Total since 1880
- 356,812babies recorded
What does the name Irene mean?
Irene comes through French Irène from Greek Eirēnē, peace. Eirene was the Greek goddess of peace, one of the Horae, whose Roman counterpart was Pax. Wiktionary notes that the name was also borne by early Christian saints and by an 8th-century Byzantine empress. English speakers say it eye-REEN; an older three-syllable form, eye-REE-nee, is also recorded. Irene has been used in the US since 1880.
εἰρήνη (Ancient Greek, “peace”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Eirene, Irina, Irena, Rena, Renie.
See also: Greek names, names that mean peace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Irene' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Irene' (Spanish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Irene
The usual nicknames for Irene are Rena. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Irene in the last five years, 17 were named Rena, against 22 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rena · also for Serena | Traditional | #2,402 | 387 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Irenes go by each one.
Irene popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,350 since 1888.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #651 | 442 |
| 2020 | #620 | 472 |
| 2010 | #695 | 411 |
| 2000 | #459 | 606 |
| 1990 | #385 | 686 |
| 1980 | #291 | 850 |
| 1970 | #275 | 1,072 |
| 1960 | #187 | 2,035 |
| 1950 | #92 | 3,825 |
| 1940 | #73 | 3,394 |
| 1930 | #33 | 6,464 |
| 1920 | #17 | 10,072 |
| 1910 | #21 | 3,281 |
| 1900 | #31 | 2,264 |
| 1890 | #60 | 893 |
| 1880 | #102 | 204 |
How popular is Irene, counting every spelling?
Irene has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #650 for girls in 2025, against #651 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Irene?
442 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Irene (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Irene born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Irene.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Irene?
About 95,000 people born in the US named Irene are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 45 and 79. That makes Irene a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Irene by state
How common Irene was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.2×), California (1.9×), Washington (1.8×), Oregon (1.7×), Wisconsin (1.6×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Irene: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Irene, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Irene · Sibling names for Irene
Questions about the name Irene
What does Irene mean?
Irene means “peace (Greek)” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Irene?
Irene was the 651st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 442 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 16th; the most babies were born in 1921 (10,624). Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Irene in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Irene a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Irene in the US.
Where is Irene most popular?
In 2021–2025, Irene was most common in Alaska (0.70 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and California.