Ren

REHN

Japanese, Latin

"water lily, lotus, romantic love, move forward; reborn"

Ren Origin and Meaning

The name Ren is a boy's name of Japanese origin meaning "water lily, lotus, romantic love, move forward; reborn".

A very popular unisex name in Japan, Ren is a concise and versatile choice that could work across multiple languages. A rising star in England and Wales where it ranks in the Top 1000, it is also on the rise in the US where it was give to nearly 90 girls and 200 boys in a recent year.

From its Japanese roots, the meaning of Ren varies depending on which kanji element is used, but possibilities include "lotus", "move forward", and "water lily".

Beyond its Japanese origins, it may be seen as a diminutive of any of the Renatus family, including French René or Spanish Renato, all of which mean "reborn". Alternatively, it might be used as a short form of Lawrence, Lorenzo, or Laurent, giving it the meaning "from Laurentum or bay laurel"

The word name Wren, the Game of Thrones character Renly Baratheon, and the Star Wars character, Kylo Ren may be other sources for the name.

Notable pop cultural associations include the cartoon series, Ren and Stimpy and the hero of both the original and updated versions of Footloose.

Ren Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 195 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ren

• 195 Nameberry 2025
• 145 Unique 2024
• 202 Unisex 2024
• 591 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Ren

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Ren.

• Everest
• Aspen
• Koa
• Koda
• Salem
• Ender
• Rue
• Lux
• Talon
• Neo
• Pax
• Briar
• Eden
• Shiloh
• Arrow
• Ever
• Sparrow
• Ember
• Rye
• Wren

Famous People Named Ren

• Ren stage name of Choi Minki, Korean singer of K,Pop boy group NU'EST

The name Ren in Pop Culture

• Ren MacCormack main character in film "Footloose"
• Ren Hoek a main character on animated series "Ren & Stimpy"
• Ren Honjo musician in the manga/anime NANA
• Ren Tsuruga charater on the manga "Skip Beat!"
• Ren Amamiya also known as Akira Kurusu, character in "Persona" series
• Ren Akatsuki character in the manga and anime "Fairy Tail" by Hiro Mashima
• Ren Kaidou character in the manga "Super Lovers" by Abe Miyuki
• Ren Hojo character in the game "Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water"
• Lie Ren character from the web series "RWBY"
• Mihashi Ren character from the sports manga "Big Windup!"
• Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo character in the Star Wars series
• Ren Hana character in visual novel "Boyfriend to Death 2"