Given name & surname
Ren
“resembling a water lily”
Ren is used as a given name and a surname. One Japanese interpretation is “resembling a water lily.”
Original Japanese廉
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Japanese interpretation is “resembling a water lily.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Japanese.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ren through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,634
- 2,818 boys · 816 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 298 babies
- 2025
- 298
- #1,041 for boys · #2,190 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +88%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 70% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 213 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,041 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 81.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 85 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (44). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,626 as a first name in 2020; 8,740 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.
Ren’s family of names
In English usage, Ren as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Jen. Ren has a related form in René. In Japanese usage, Ren is a Roman-alphabet rendering of れん.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
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 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Wrenequivalent
- Reneequivalent
- Ronequivalent
- Remequivalent
- Renyequivalent
- Jendoublet · English
- 仁equivalent
- 壬equivalent
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Ren
- Ren HayakawaJapanese archerborn 1987
- Ren ShibamotoJapanese association football player (1999-)
- Ren FujimuraJapanese association football playerborn 1999
- Ren KomatsuJapanese association football player (1998-)
- Ren NikaidōJapanese ski jumperborn 2001
- Ren OsugiJapanese actor (1951-2018)
- Ren GillWelsh Musician, singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, multi-instrumentalistborn 1990
- Ren MeguroJapanese actor and singerborn 1997
- Renn WoodsAmerican actressborn 1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ren, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Haru
“daughter born in the spnng” · “born during the spring”
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Lowen
49% boys · 51% girls
Rein
Rein is a surname with more than one origin. It is used in English and Estonian.
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Rowe
“a red-haired man” · “resembling a roe deer”
60% boys · 40% girls
Remy
“woman from the town of Rheims” · “man from the town of Rheims”
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Reason
Reason is a surname.
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Revel
“rebel”
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Ever
“resembling a wild boar”
60% boys · 40% girls