Gender Feminine
Scripts Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. /aɪ.ˈɹin/(English) /aɪ.ˈɹi.ni/(English) /i.ˈrɛ.ne/(Italian) /i.ˈɾe.ne/(Spanish) /ˈi.re.ne/(Finnish) /i.ˈʁeː.nə/(German) /i.ˈreː.nə/(Dutch)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

From Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning "peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.

This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.

Related Names

Rooteirene
VariantsEireen(English) Iria(Portuguese) Eirene(Ancient Greek) Eirene(Greek Mythology)
Masculine FormsIreneo(Italian) Ireneo(Spanish) Eirenaios, Irenaeus, Ireneus(Ancient Greek)
Other Languages & CulturesIrena(Albanian) Iryna(Belarusian) Irena, Irina(Bulgarian) Irena, Ena(Croatian) Irena, Irenka(Czech) Irina(Estonian) Irène, Irénée(French) Iria(Galician) Irina, Irine(Georgian) Eirini, Irini(Greek) Irén(Hungarian) Irēna, Irīna(Latvian) Irena(Lithuanian) Irina(Macedonian) Irena, Irenka(Polish) Irina(Romanian) Irina, Arina, Arisha, Ira, Irinushka(Russian) Irena(Serbian) Irena(Slovak) Irena(Slovene) Iryna(Ukrainian)
Same SpellingIrène
User SubmissionsIréne, Iréné, Ireñe, Irene

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: April 1
Denmark: April 5
Estonia: April 5
Finland: April 5
Germany: April 3
Greece: May 5
Italy: June 5
Italy: October 16
Italy: October 20
Latvia: May 13
Norway: April 5
Spain: October 20
Sweden: April 5

Images

Byzantine empress Irene, from Saint Mark's Basilica in VeniceByzantine empress Irene, from Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice

Categories

Entry updated April 23, 2024