US rank #638 Girls' name Peak 1921 355,004 births

Irene — #638 US girls' name

355,004 babies named Irene in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s40021890s136211900s236561910s689681920s928361930s444481940s318221950s269781960s154461970s82891980s71031990s59682000s51482010s44652020s2254
#638
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 96% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

26% of everyone ever named Irene was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

10,624 babies were named Irene in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Irene

The Social Security Administration has registered 355,004 babies named Irene between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Irene currently holds the #638 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 10,624 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Irene performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 92,836 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Irene shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 34,604 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Irene in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Irene in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 355,004 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Irene at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

355,004

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

10,624 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#638

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Irene popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1921)
10,624
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 204

Irene popularity over time — boys

1,350 total births recorded since 1888 (Irene as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 1,350 births
01020304050 202319741957194519331921190918971888 5

Irene by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
92,836 births that decade — 26% of Irene's all-time total
1880s40021890s136211900s236561910s689681920s928361930s444481940s318221950s269781960s154461970s82891980s71031990s59682000s51482010s44652020s2254

Irene by state

Where Irene concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Irene
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
34,604 9.7%
#2 Pennsylvania
25,576 7.2%
#3 California
25,143 7.1%
#4 Texas
19,246 5.4%
#5 Illinois
17,733 5.0%
#6 Massachusetts
13,869 3.9%
#7 Michigan
13,556 3.8%
#8 Ohio
12,991 3.7%
New York share of Irene's total US births 9.7%
Even split

34,604 of 355,004 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Irene appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Irene?
355,004 babies have been named Irene since 1880. It currently ranks #638 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 10,624 births.
When was Irene most popular?
Irene was most popular in the 1920s decade with 92,836 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Irene most popular?
The top states for the name Irene are New York (34,604 births), Pennsylvania (25,576 births), California (25,143 births).
How long has the name Irene been used?
Irene has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Irene?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ireland, Irena, Irelynn, Irelyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Irene

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.