Total births
355,462
Girls' name · since 1880
Irene
355,462 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.
- #635
- among girls today
- 355,462
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Irene is the #635 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 355,462 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Irene recorded 355,462 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #635 nationally today, ahead of 96% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #635 among girls today
- 355,462 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Irene is currently the #635 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 355,462 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #635
- among girls today
- 355,462
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Irene vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#635
of 17,726 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.
How Irene compares
355,462 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Irene's all-time total is 931x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Irene | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 355,462 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,624 | 48 | 19,840 |
Irene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Irene splits its recorded history at 1953: 19% of all births land in the more recent half, 81% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (204 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 10,624 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Irene at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#635
Active since
1880
Irene popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 10,624
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Irene popularity over time - boys
1,350 total births recorded since 1888 (Irene as boys' name)
Irene by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Irene's strongest decade.
92,836 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Irene births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,002
1880s
4,002 births
- 1890s 13,621
1890s
13,621 births
- 1900s 23,656
1900s
23,656 births
- 1910s
1910s
68,968 births
- 1920s
1920s
92,836 births
- 1930s
1930s
44,448 births
- 1940s 31,822
1940s
31,822 births
- 1950s 26,978
1950s
26,978 births
- 1960s 15,451
1960s
15,451 births
- 1970s 8,289
1970s
8,289 births
- 1980s 7,104
1980s
7,104 births
- 1990s 5,969
1990s
5,969 births
- 2000s 5,153
2000s
5,153 births
- 2010s 4,465
2010s
4,465 births
- 2020s 2,700
2020s
2,700 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 92,836 births (26% of all-time use).
How Irene compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Irene's total volume
Irene vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Irene by state
Where Irene concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 34,627 | 9.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 25,597 | 7.2% |
| #3 | California | | 25,232 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Texas | | 19,308 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 17,749 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 13,869 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 13,569 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 13,002 | 3.7% |
New York share of Irene's total US births 9.7%
Even split
34,627 of 355,462 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? ▼
Irene has been given to 355,462 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #635 as of the latest data. 10,624 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
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 (34,627 births), Pennsylvania (25,597 births), California (25,232 births).
How long has the name Irene been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Irene since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
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.
What to do with Irene's data
- Irene's decade-level peak was the 1920s (92,836 total births); usage has since declined to 2,700 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Irenes (34,627 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Irene
Nearby Names Like Irene
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Irene
Ireland Girl
#1866 6,347 births
Irena Girl
#4207 2,186 births
Irelynn Girl
#3370 1,740 births
Irelyn Girl
#3498 1,594 births
Irean Girl
485 births
Compare Irene side by side: Irene vs Ireland Irene vs Irena Irene vs Irelynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Irene
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Irene: #635 Girls' Name - 355,462 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/irene. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Irene draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.