Irene - Name Meaning and Origin

The boy's and girl's name Irene \i-re-ne\ is pronounced eye-REEN, eye-REE-nee. It is of Greek origin, and its meaning is "peace". Mythology: Greek goddess of peace. Saint Irene (fourth century) was one of the three sisters martyred for their faith in Macedonia. The three-syllable pronunciation is mostly British. Common during the Roman Empire, but first used in English-speaking countries in the mid-19th century. Irina is popular in Russia. Actresses Irene Dunne, Irene Worth.

Irene has 28 variant forms: Aireen, Airina, Arina, Eireen, Eiren, Eirena, Eirene, Erena, Erene, Ira, Irayna, Ireen, Iren, Irena, Irenea, Irénée, Irenka, Iriana, Irina, Irine, Iryna, Orina, Oryna, Rena, Rene, Renie, Rina and Yarina.

For more information, see also the related name Nitsa.

Baby names that sound like Irene are Arene, Arena, Aren, Aurene, Jorene, Orane and Urena.

Irene is a very popular female first name and a common surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl's name Irene. Click here to compare Irene with related baby names.