Irene

“Peace” — Greek via French origin

Girl's name · #651 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Irene is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1918, when it ranked #16. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 355,000 girls since 1880, ranked #651 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: #61 in Spain (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 27 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Irenes

Irène Joliot-Curie — French scientist (1897–1956)
Irene of Athens — empress of Byzantine Empire (752-803)
Irene Papas — Greek actress and singer (1929–2022)
Irene — South Korean singer and actress
Irene Dunne — American actress and singer (1898–1990)

In stories & tradition

Irene Adler — A Scandal in Bohemia · Sherlock
Irene Merryweather — Earth-616
Irene Roberts — Home and Away

What Irenes become

Among 2,539 notable people named Irene:

Artists & writers appear 1.36× more often than among typical names — e.g. Irène Némirovsky, French novelist (1903–1942).

Similar names: Gloria · Ireland · Arlene · Marjorie · Yvonne · Joyce

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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