Imogen
About Imogen
Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
Though never in the American Top 1000, Imogen may be more popular in your hip neighborhood than that statistic would suggest. A contemporary classic in England and Wales, Imogen has ranked in the Top 100 ever since detailed naming records began in 1996. It's also a Nameberry favorite, consistently among the Top 100 most viewed girl names on our site.
The story goes that Imogen originated as a Shakespearean printer's misspelling of the traditional Celtic name Innogen, used by him for a character in one of his last plays, Cymbeline. The Innogen of legend, who Shakespeare’s character was based on, was the wife of Brutus of Troy, the first king of Britain. Earlier versions of her name, including Ennoguent, Innoguend, and Innoguent, were found in Brittany from the 9th-11th centuries. They are probably derived from the Gaelic word inghean, meaning "daughter" or "maiden," and possibly have a connection to the Proto-Celtic word for "white," from which the suffixes -gwyn and -gwen evolved.
Even if Shakespeare did happen upon Imogen by accident, he wasn't the first person to use the name. The Latin name Imogenis, meaning "lowest-born," existed centuries before Shakespeare, and was first recorded in the 13th century.
Imogen gained attention in recent times through its link to Grammy-winning musician Imogen Heap. Other pluses: Imogen has the wonderful namesake photographer Imogen Cunningham and also a meaning that can't be topped. Immy is the cute diminutive; in the book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes, the character Imogene's nickname was Idgie.
Pronounced IM-o-jen.
As of October 2026, Imogen ranked #1117 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #67.
Editor's take: The name Imogen is a girl's name of Celtic origin meaning "maiden".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,423 | 160 | 89.6 |
| 2015 | #1,555 | 141 | 79 |
| 2016 | #1,364 | 173 | 97.6 |
| 2017 | #1,356 | 171 | 99 |
| 2018 | #1,333 | 170 | 99.9 |
| 2019 | #1,396 | 161 | 95.9 |
| 2020 | #1,238 | 184 | 113.8 |
| 2021 | #1,336 | 167 | 101.8 |
| 2022 | #1,288 | 184 | 112.2 |
| 2023 | #1,213 | 196 | 122.2 |
| 2024 | #1,126 | 214 | 132.1 |
| 2025 | #1,117 | 211 | 131.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Imogen.
- Sylvie
- Thea
- Esme
- Vera
- Daphne
- Ottilie
- Beatrix
- Florence
- Margot
- Ingrid
- Orla
- Elodie
- Ada
- Cordelia
- Phoebe
- Odette
- Marette
- Madaleine
- Elowen
- Willa
Imogen on lists
Famous Imogens
- Imogen Bailey
Australian model, actress & singer
- Imogen Bankier
Scottish badminton player
- Imogen Cairns
English gymnast
- Imogen Cunningham
American photographer
- Imogen Hassall
English actress
- Imogen Jennifer Heap
English singer/songwriter, formerly of Frou Frou
- Imogen Clare Holst
English composer and conductor
- Imogen Anne Lloyd Webber
British political commentator and author, daughter of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Imogen Lycett Green
English writer, daughter of Candida Lycett Green (and sister to Lucy, Endellion, David and John)
- Imogen Gay Poots
English actress
- Imogen Stubbs
English actress
- Imogen Mary Thomas
Miss Wales 2003 and TV personality ("Big Brother")
- Imogen Sheeran
mother of singer,songwriter Ed Sheeran and jewelry designer
Imogen in pop culture
- Imogen
main character in Shakespeare's "Cymbeline"
- Imogen
imaginary friend on TV's 'The Nanny.'
- Imogen Moreno
character on TV's "Degrassi"
- Imogen Dartie Cardigan
character from "The Forsyte Saga"
- Imogen
character in the Ascendance trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen
- Imogen Herondale
character in 'The Mortal Instruments' series by Cassandra Clare
- Imogen
character in the 'Pretty Little Liars' series
- Imogen Willis
character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
- Imogen
character in movie 'Down to You'
- Imogen Drill
character on TV's "The Worst Witch"
- Imogen
character in "Bad Dreams" by Anne Fine
- Imogen
character in "Bumface" by Morris Gleitzman
- Imogen
character in "The Rain Before It Falls" by Jonathan Coe
- Imogen Book
character in "Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox" by Eoin Colfer
- Imogen Melford
character in "The Time of the Ghost" by Diana Wynne Jones
- Imogen Hazard
character in "Wise Children" by Angela Carter
- Imogen
character in movie "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love"
- "Imogen's Puzzle
" song by Psyopus
- Imogen
character in Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
- Imogen Stewart
character on TV's 'Waterloo Road'
- Imogen Reed
character in the video game SOMA
- Imogen Heaney
character in the "Heartstopper" series
- Imogen Sokoloff
character in novel "Genuine Fraud"