Meaning
Peace, through the Greek name tradition.
The exact given-name etymology records French Irene borrowing from Greek Eirene, peace. Mythological and historical bearer associations are separate from the lexical interpretation.
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Irene
Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.
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Origin
Greek in origin, with language-specific borrowing histories.
The Greek root is connected to the peace word. English use is documented through French Irène; the Spanish entry also identifies an Ancient Greek source. Languages of use are separate from ultimate origin and do not assign ethnicity to a bearer.
English pronunciation
/aɪˈɹiːn/; /aɪˈɹiːni/
Recorded English readings. Native Greek, Spanish, and other language readings can differ.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
| Place | Year | Recorded usage | Published births | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2025 | Girls | 28 · preliminary | 966 | 2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| France | 2025 | Girls | 5 (rounded to 5) | 4588 | Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published. |
| England & Wales | 2025 | Girls | 34 | 997 | Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published. |
| Scotland | 2023 | Girls | 3 | 749 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Ireland | 2025 | Girls | 9 | 413 | Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| United States | 2025 | Girls | 442 | 651 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
| United States | 2023 | Boys | 5 | 12239 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Language of use: English
Checked against cited source
The exact English proper-name entry explicitly records given-name use. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Language of use: Spanish
Checked against cited source
The exact Spanish personal-name section documents Irene as a given name. This verifies Spanish use rather than a separate Spanish linguistic root. Its native IPA is not used as an English pronunciation guide. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Irene revision and separate English/Spanish personal-name sections; Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026), printed page 197. Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Irene&oldid=93041368; https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=199. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); other cited source rights retained. Copyright of the handbook remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the source accounts to distinguish linguistic roots from languages of use; no source images or recordings reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0; other cited source rights retained
Meaning: Peace, through the Greek name tradition.
Checked against cited source
The exact given-name etymology records French Irene borrowing from Greek Eirene, peace. Mythological and historical bearer associations are separate from the lexical interpretation. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: Greek in origin, with language-specific borrowing histories.
Checked against cited source
The Greek root is connected to the peace word. English use is documented through French Irène; the Spanish entry also identifies an Ancient Greek source. Languages of use are separate from ultimate origin and do not assign ethnicity to a bearer. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Irene revision and separate English/Spanish personal-name sections; Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026), printed page 197. Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Irene&oldid=93041368; https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=199. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); other cited source rights retained. Copyright of the handbook remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names condensed the source accounts to distinguish linguistic roots from languages of use; no source images or recordings reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0; other cited source rights retained
English pronunciation: /aɪˈɹiːn/; /aɪˈɹiːni/
Checked against cited source
Recorded English readings. Native Greek, Spanish, and other language readings can differ.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Iren
Checked against cited source
A recorded alternate spelling. Accents are preserved exactly; each spelling keeps its own statistics and preferred pronunciation. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026). Source: https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=199. License: Original factual summary; source rights retained (https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized explicit alternate-form relationships in original wording; no source prose, images or recordings are reproduced.
Original factual summary; source rights retained
Spelling variant: Irén
Checked against cited source
A recorded alternate spelling. Accents are preserved exactly; each spelling keeps its own statistics and preferred pronunciation. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026). Source: https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=199. License: Original factual summary; source rights retained (https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized explicit alternate-form relationships in original wording; no source prose, images or recordings are reproduced.
Original factual summary; source rights retained
Spelling variant: Iréne
Checked against cited source
A recorded alternate spelling. Accents are preserved exactly; each spelling keeps its own statistics and preferred pronunciation. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Isof, 2026). Source: https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=199. License: Original factual summary; source rights retained (https://isof.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:2041530/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized explicit alternate-form relationships in original wording; no source prose, images or recordings are reproduced.
Original factual summary; source rights retained
country_CA
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country_FR
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country_IE
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(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.
Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence
Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
U.S. Social Security Administration
Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.