Irene

Greek
"peace"

Irene Origin and Meaning

The name Irene is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "peace".

Serene Irene, the name of the Greek goddess of peace and one of the most familiar Greek goddess names, was hugely popular in ancient Rome and again in the United States a hundred years ago.

One of the most popular names of the Roman Empire and the name of several early saints, this originally Greek name (then spelled Eirene) represented a daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of peace. Often pronounced with three syllables, it spread throughout Europe in a range of variations and is a royal name in Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Much of Irene's popularity in England stemmed from the character Irene Forsyte in Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga (pronounced eye-reen-ee). Americans identified it with the sparkling Irene Dunne of Hollywood's Golden Age. Irene was a Top 20 name from 1915 to 1925, remaining in the Top 100 until 1945. It still highly popular in Spain.

Some other references include the eponymous early smash hit Broadway musical, famed ballroom dancer Irene Castle (portrayed on film by Ginger Rogers), the Hollywood costume designer known simply as Irene, the Uma Thurman character in Gattaca, Irene Denholm the Harry Potter student at Hogwarts School, and the lullaby-ready song Goodnight, Irene.

# 674 in the US

Irene Rank in US Top 1000

# 247 on Nameberry

Irene Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Irene Popularity

Famous People Named Irene

  • Irene
    stage name of Bae Joohyun; rapper, dancer, singer, and leader of South Korean girl group Red Velvet
  • Irene Marie Dunne
    American actress
  • Irene Bordoni
    Corsican French singer
  • Irene Cara (Escalera)
    American singer
  • Irene Castle
    American ballroom dancer
  • Irene Joliot
    Curie, French scientist, daughter of Marie Curie
  • Irene Urdangaria­n y Bourbon
    daughter of Infanta Cristina of Spain
  • Irene (Lentz)
    American costume designer
  • Irene Vanbrugh
    English actress
  • Irene Vernon
    American actress
  • Irene Frances Rich
    American actress
  • Irene of Athens
    Byzantine Empress
  • Irene Papas
    Greek actress
  • Irene Handl
    English actress
  • Irene Worth (born Harriet Elizabeth Abrams)
    American actress, pronounced it "eye,ree,nee"
  • Irene Ryan (born Jessie Irene Noblett)
    American actress
  • Irene Angelina
    Queen consort of Sicily and Germany
  • Irene Mathyssen
    Canadian MP
  • Irene Morgan
    American civil rights activist
  • Emily Irene VanCamp
    Canadian actress
  • (Sze) Irene Ng
    Malaysian,born American actress

Irene in Pop Culture

  • Irene Adler
    character in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series
  • Irene Heron (pr. Eye
    ree,nee), character in John Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga
  • Irene Cassini
    character in movie "Gattaca"
  • Irene Lorenzo
    character on TV's "All in the Family"
  • Princess Irene
    character in "The Princess and the Goblin" by George MacDonald (pronounced eye,ree,nee in its 1991 film adaptation)
  • Irene Lapham
    character in "The Rise of Silas Lapham" by William Dean Howells
  • Irene
    Queen of Attolia, character in The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
  • Irene Denholm
    character in the Harry Potter series
  • Irene Frederick
    character on TV's "Warehouse 13"
  • Irene the Concierge
    character on TV's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody"
  • Lady Irene
    character in Aphmau's YouTube series
  • "Irene
    " 1940s movie
  • Goodnight Irene
    American folk song
  • Irene
    main character in The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
  • Irene Larra Girón
    character on tv series "El Ministerio del Tiempo"
  • Irene P. Waters
    character in the 2000 Jim Carrey movie "Me,Myself & Irene"