Irene
From the Greek Eirene, meaning peace, the name of the goddess who personified it. Byzantine empresses and early saints carried it.
Irene in 2025
Irene was given to 442 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,281st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 7,501 babies born.
The history of Irene
Irene reached its highest point in 1921, when 10,657 babies were given the name, ranking 36th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 29th, in 1906.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 356,812 babies have been named Irene. Half of them were born before 1926, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Irene by decade
| Decade | Babies named Irene | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,007 | 87 |
| 1890s | 13,672 | 48 |
| 1900s | 23,752 | 29 |
| 1910s | 69,162 | 31 |
| 1920s | 93,192 | 36 |
| 1930s | 44,698 | 64 |
| 1940s | 31,968 | 137 |
| 1950s | 27,080 | 183 |
| 1960s | 15,499 | 348 |
| 1970s | 8,325 | 498 |
| 1980s | 7,159 | 550 |
| 1990s | 5,975 | 736 |
| 2000s | 5,153 | 867 |
| 2010s | 4,465 | 1,135 |
| 2020s | 2,705 | 1,204 |
Where Irene is heading
Irene has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 453 babies in 2015 to 442 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1921 peak — Irene is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Irene
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Irene.