The first name Irene
A girl’s name from Greek meaning “peace”.
Pronounced /aɪˈɹiːn/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
Irene means “peace” in Greek.
Borrowed from French Irène, from Ancient Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirḗnē, “peace”), name of a goddess of peace, of early Christian saints, and of an 8th-century Byzantine empress. Doublet of Eirini.
More names that mean peace.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 34 girls were named Irene, making it the 997th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 37 births (#952).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Irene with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Irene at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 442 girls born in the United States were named Irene, the 651st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 10,624 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Irene in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Irene in Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, German, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Irene
- Reenie
Famous people named Irene
121 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Irène Joliot-CurieFrench chemist and physicist (1897–1956)
- Irene DunneAmerican actress and singer (1898–1990)
- Irene CaraAmerican singer and actress (1959–2022)
- Irène NémirovskyFrench novelist (1903–1942)
- Irène JacobFrench-born Swiss actress, born 1966
- Princess Irene of the NetherlandsDutch princess; second child of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard (born, born 1939
- Irene DoukainaEmpress consort of the Byzantine Empire, 1066–1123
- Irene AngelinaByzantine queen (1180-1208)
- Princess Irene of Hesse and by RhineDaughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the United K, 1866–1953
- Irene Palaiologina of TrebizondEmpress consort then empress regnant of Trebizond (1315-1341)
- Irene KhanBangladeshi academic, born 1956
- Irene SchoutenDutch speed skater, born 1992
More Greek girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Irene mean?
- Irene means “peace” in Greek.
- What is the origin of the name Irene?
- Borrowed from French Irène, from Ancient Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirḗnē, “peace”), name of a goddess of peace, of early Christian saints, and of an 8th-century Byzantine empress. Doublet of Eirini.
- How popular is the name Irene?
- In 2025, 34 girls born in England and Wales were named Irene, ranking 997th. Its peak was 2024, with 37 births.
- What are nicknames for Irene?
- Common nicknames for Irene include Reenie.
- Is Irene a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 356,812 US babies named Irene since 1880 were girls.
- When was Irene most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 10,624 babies were named Irene, its highest rank at 18th.
- How do you pronounce Irene?
- Irene is /aɪˈɹiːn/, 2 syllables.