Given name & surname
Irene
“peace”
Irene is a feminine given name from French, ultimately from Ancient Greek. It is used in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and 9 other languages.
Original GreekΕιρήνη
Meaning & origin
What it means
Irene goes back to Ancient Greek Εἰρήνη, meaning “peace.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In Cebuano usage, Irene developed from the French form Irène. In Swedish usage, Irene developed from the Ancient Greek form Εἰρήνη.
The story
In mythological stories, Irene is associated with the goddess of peace.
Irene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 356,812
- 1,350 boys · 355,462 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 10,657 babies
- 2025
- 442
- #651 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 442 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 651 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 10,624 in 1921. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (88). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 143,800 as a first name in 2020; 557 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Irene’s family of names
In English usage, Irene has a diminutive in Ira. In English usage, Irene shares a linguistic root with Irina. Irene has a related form in Iryna.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Irene has relatives in 32 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Irene comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 37
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΕιρήνηGreek
- Εἰρήνηroot · Ancient Greek
- Arinaequivalent
- Enaequivalent
- Erinaequivalent
- Eirenerelated form
- Nitsarelated form
- Yarynacognate · English
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- Eirinidoublet · English
- Yarinarelated form
- Ereneequivalent
- IriaPortuguese
- Iroizh
- AirinNorwegian
- Eireensee also · Irish
- IreeneFinnish
- Irainaequivalent
- Irénaequivalent
- Яринаequivalent
- Айринequivalent
- Ірэнаequivalent
- Airinėequivalent
- ИрэнRussian
- Ірынаcognate · Belarusian
- Irēnacognate · Latvian
- Iirâšǩsms
- IrénHungarian
- Уринэmns-nor
- ІринаUkrainian
- ИренаSerbian
- АринаRussian
- ÍrenaIcelandic
- ÍrenIcelandic
- IrinäFinnish
- IrinjaFinnish
- IreeniFinnish
- Irénécognate
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Irene
- Irene of Athensempress of Byzantine Empire (752-803)
- Irene PapasGreek actress and singer (1929–2022)
- Irene DunneAmerican actress and singer (1898–1990)
- Irene CaraAmerican singer and actress (1959–2022)
- Princess Irene of Greece and DenmarkPrincess of Greece and Denmark (1942–2026)
- Princess Irene, Duchess of AostaGreek princess, Queen consort of Croatia, Duchess of Aosta (1904–1974)
- Irene DoukainaEmpress consort of the Byzantine Empire1066–1123
- Princess Irene of the NetherlandsDutch princess; second child of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard (born 1939)
- Irene ParedesSpanish footballerborn 1991
Characters named Irene: Irene Adler (the Sherlock Holmes stories).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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