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.
- #104 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #651 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 355,462
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Irene is the #651 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 #651 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.
- #104 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #651 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 355,462 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Irene ranks #104 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #651 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 355,462 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #104 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #651 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 355,462
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Irene's 355,462 recorded births place it above 99.85% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Irene compares
355,462 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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 945x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Irene | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 355,462 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,624 | 21 | 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 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
1920s is the heaviest window (92,836 births, 26% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Irene sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Irene most popular? ▼
Where is Irene most popular? ▼
How long has the name Irene been used? ▼
What names are similar to Irene? ▼
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
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
Compare Irene side by side: Irene vs Ireland Irene vs Irena Irene vs Irelynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Irene
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Irene: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.