Holding steady.
Popularity of Irine since 1895
Babies named Irine per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1922, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Irine's real moment was 1910.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 21 |
| 1900s | 131 |
| 1910s | 356 |
| 1920s | 477 |
| 1930s | 274 |
| 1940s | 139 |
| 1950s | 95 |
| 1960s | 25 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Irine is a rare variant of Irene, a name with ancient Greek roots meaning 'peace'. The name first appeared in U.S. records in 1895, but it never achieved widespread popularity. Its peak year came in 1910, during an era when many classical and virtue names were favored. Since then, Irine has remained consistently uncommon, never ranking in the top 1,000 names. The name has been given to a very small number of girls each year, reflecting its status as a distinctive alternative to the more common Irene. Irine's trajectory has been stable over the decades, with no significant revival in recent years.
Irine is likely a variant of Irene, which derives from the Greek word 'eirēnē' meaning 'peace'. Irene was the name of the Greek goddess of peace, and the name was borne by several early saints, including a 4th-century Byzantine empress. The variant Irine has occasionally been used in English-speaking countries, though never reaching widespread popularity.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Iri, Rina
Sibling names for Irine
Names that share Irine's style, for a brother or sister.
