The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Irene!

Comments and insights on the name Irene: | Edit

Irene is a name that travels well throughout Europe and the Americas, making it a great choice for parents of mixed cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It is spelled the same in English; Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese; Scandinavian, Finnish and German.

An alternate pronunciation for the name Irene (especially in the Spanish speaking world) is ihr-REN-ay.

Personal experiences with the name Irene: | Edit

common in poland/eastern europe

I'm a 21 yr old Irene. It's not very common among people my age, but there was one other person with it growing. I used to hate having a name that I attributed to an "old woman's name." But I've grown to love having a more uncommon name. Makes it easier to know people are talking to me when "Irene" gets called out somewhere.

hello :) I'm a 16 year old Irene. And yes i do LOVE my name! Its really not that common and makes you feel special knowing your the only Irene around, take the name Jessica for example there's always at lest 2 or more in every class! i love my name!

My mother was named Irene because it means "peace" and she was born during WWII.

Nicknames for Irene: | Edit

Rene,Renie,Nene,ira,irenie,ire,I,Ree,Reen,Reenie

Meanings and history of the name Irene: | Edit

Irene - Peace

Famous real-life people named Irene: | Edit

Irene Dunne, Academy-award nominated actress
Irene Lentz, American clothing designer in Los Angeles; costume designer for films in the 1930s
Irene Ryan, American actress
Irene Papas, Greek actress
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of Empress Alexandra of Russia (she was named for the peace that concluded the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, the year she was born.)
Princess Irene of the Netherlands, sister of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Irene Castle, American dancer
Irene Piotrowski, Lithuanian-Canadian athlete
Irene Cara, American singer, Academy Award-winning songwriter and actress of African, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent
Irene de Kok, Dutch judoka
Irene Eijs, Dutch rower
Irene Jacob, French-born Swiss actress
Irene Bedard, Native American (Alaskan: Inupiat Eskimo and Métis) actress best known for her portrayal of Native American characters
Irene Saez, Venezuelan politician and former Miss Universe
Irene van Dyk, successful goal shooter for the New Zealand netball team, the Silver Ferns
Irene Hunt, American novelist

Irene in song, story & screen: | Edit

"Goodnight Irene," American folk song
"Irene," Christian rap song by Toby Mac
"Me, Myself & Irene," Comedy starring Jim Carrey & Renée Zellweger
Irene Adler, character from the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia"