Given name & surname
Rene
“the king's advisor”·“one who has been reborn”
Rene is a variant of Reginald. One Latin interpretation is “the king's advisor.” Rene is a variant of Renée. One French interpretation is “one who has been reborn.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Rene is a variant of Reginald. One Latin interpretation is “the king's advisor.” Rene is a variant of Renée. One French interpretation is “one who has been reborn.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Rene is a variant of Reginald. An origin associated with Reginald is Latin. Rene is a variant of Renée. An origin associated with Renée is French.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Rene developed from René.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 72,779
- 50,940 boys · 21,839 girls
- Most popular year
- 1962
- 1,649 babies
- 2025
- 210
- #1,092 for boys · #8,244 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 93% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 197 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,092 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 869 in 1970. It also appeared in 13 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (58). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 83,545 as a first name in 2020; 3,174 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.
Rene’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Rene developed from the French form René. Rene has a related form in Reginald. In Danish usage, Rene has an alternative spelling in René.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Rene has relatives in 4 languages.
1 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rene
- Rene RussoAmerican actress and modelborn 1954
- Rene KrhinSlovenian footballer (born 1990)
- Renê SantosBrazilian association football playerborn 1992
- Rene LiuTaiwanese singer and actressborn 1969
- Rene MandriEstonian sports cyclist and coach (born 1984)
- Rene BourqueCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1981
- Hank ShermannDanish musicianborn 1958
- Rene MiheličSlovenian association football playerborn 1988
- Rene BitorajacCroatian actorborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Rene, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rex
“a king”
>99% boys
Rudy
“a well-known woman”
94% boys · 6% girls
Roger
“fame-spear”
>99% boys
Rolf
“a famous wolf”
>99% boys
Reinaldo
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Eddy
“a wealthy protector” · “one who is wealthy in friendship”
94% boys · 6% girls
Franz
“a man from France; one who is free” · “frenchman”
>99% boys
Roderick
Roderick has Germanic roots, with later Scottish and Welsh uses that follow different paths.
>99% boys