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Irena as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Irena

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The baby name Irena is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /iˈrɛna/ (EE-REH-nah) — common in Slavic/Greek; /aɪˈriːnə/ (eye-REE-nə) — common in English.

Irena is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: /iˈrɛna/ (EE-REH-nah) — common in Slavic/Greek; /aɪˈriːnə/ (eye-REE-nə) — common in English

What is the meaning of the name Irena ?

The baby name Irena is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /iˈrɛna/ (EE-REH-nah) — common in Slavic/Greek; /aɪˈriːnə/ (eye-REE-nə) — common in English.

Irena is Greek in Origin.

Derived from Greek Eirēnē “peace,” Irena is the Slavic form of Irene, the name of the Greek goddess personifying peace and a virtue prized in early Christian communities. The form Irena gained currency across West and South Slavic languages - especially Polish, Czech, Slovene, and Croatian - and appears in Baltic usage as well. Its meaning remains “peace” or “peaceful one.”

Through the veneration of several early martyrs named Irene and the renown of the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens, the name spread widely; in Eastern Europe the variant Irena became a steady classic, peaking in the mid‑20th century. Notable bearers include Polish humanitarian Irena Sendler and Olympic great Irena Szewińska. Related forms are Irene (English, Spanish), Irina (Russian), Iryna (Ukrainian), and Greek Eirini/Irini; diminutives include Ira, Irenka, Irka, and Rena.

Irena has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Irena

Irena Kwiatkowska Actor · Born 1912 · Poland Irena Kwiatkowska was a beloved Polish actress, best known for her comedic roles in television and theater. She gained fame for her work in the TV series 'Czterdziestolatek' and the play 'Kabaret Starszych Panów'. Her performances brought joy to many and left a lasting impact on Polish entertainment. Irena Anders Actor · Born 1920 · United Kingdom Irena Anders was a Polish-Ukrainian stage actress and singer, best known for entertaining Polish troops during World War II with Henryk Wars' troupe and the Polska Parada band. Born Iryna Renata Jarosiewicz, she later became the wife of General Władysław Anders and remained known for her performances for the Polish Armed Forces in the West.

Irena – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
KH 0 #3 1 102
LT Girls 0 #11 1,086 1,904
SI Girls 0 #14 388 2,769
AL Girls 0 #26 455 4,141
TM Girls 0 #35 1 574
BG Girls 0 #37 332 3,559
CZ Girls 0 #37 3,548 5,378
AL 0 #39 37 2,372
SI 0 #39 44 1,612
HR Girls 0 #41 1,305 3,687
RS Girls 0 #41 183 1,651
IR Girls 0 #42 3,699 8,334
LT 0 #42 50 949
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
PL Girls 0 #46 8,110 5,096
RS 0 #49 41 923
BG 0 #50 31 1,799
HR 0 #52 223 2,081
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
CZ 0 #74 222 3,154
IR 0 #89 215 4,221
KZ 0 #93 2 1,452
ID Girls 0 #99 4 3,319
SD 0 #101 2 2,130
CY Girls 0 #103 19 3,755
GE Girls 0 #104 5 1,564
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
PL 0 #121 161 2,600
EE Girls 0 #122 17 1,888
IL Girls 0 #122 1,203 11,648
GR Girls 0 #124 127 6,293
GR 0 #129 7 3,911
Switzerland Girls 2024 #131 5 1,786
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
MT Girls 0 #142 10 3,773
LT Boys 0 #145 7 2,166
Norway Girls 1990 #146 4 576
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
PS Girls 0 #157 645 10,981
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
PS 0 #170 49 5,692
RU 0 #173 17 3,641
LU Girls 0 #182 9 4,850
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
Austria 0 #195 19 850
DK 0 #200 7 5,198
IL 0 #205 70 6,291
SI Boys 0 #207 5 3,402
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
BG Boys 0 #218 3 3,850
HU Girls 0 #221 5 3,308
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
HR Boys 0 #246 13 3,997
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
RU Girls 0 #262 304 11,913
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
GR Boys 0 #271 3 6,912
Austria Girls 0 #272 156 1,885
SG 0 #279 4 11,010
DK Girls 0 #284 33 7,429
TW Girls 0 #284 6 8,139
Canada Girls 2021 #285 6 2,910
AL Boys 0 #287 12 5,122
PL Boys 0 #294 42 6,459
CZ Boys 0 #295 10 6,530
KZ Girls 0 #295 26 5,862
GH Girls 0 #335 3 6,973
QA Girls 0 #337 7 15,378
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
CN Girls 0 #340 10 8,829
MY 0 #351 4 12,352
MU Girls 0 #354 9 8,539
HK 0 #355 3 8,483
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
Germany Girls 0 #364 701 4,949
NL 0 #370 22 2,481
Finland Girls 0 #373 19 1,368
Germany 0 #396 42 2,542
France Girls 2018 #400 3 3,265
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
OM Girls 0 #421 4 15,987
PH Girls 0 #426 4 13,098
PT Girls 0 #466 6 7,952
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Girls 0 #513 6 9,861
CM Girls 0 #524 17 11,671
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
IT Girls 0 #531 1,647 9,415
UY Girls 0 #534 3 6,731
GT Girls 0 #537 5 7,500
AE Girls 0 #539 15 20,968
IR Boys 0 #540 13 10,162
PS Boys 0 #553 9 10,655
KW Girls 0 #556 6 19,177
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
CR Girls 0 #565 9 11,342
SG Girls 0 #571 16 18,916
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
BH 0 #586 2 17,937
HK Girls 0 #597 19 16,104
BO Girls 0 #600 12 9,488
IL Boys 0 #618 8 10,983
AR Girls 0 #626 5 8,289
IT 0 #631 84 4,183
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
Finland Girls 2026 #677 62 3,895
LB 0 #682 9 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
NL Girls 0 #742 215 5,933
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
Spain Girls 0 #811 173 5,561
NG Girls 0 #824 3 15,093
CL Girls 0 #841 11 14,098
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
United States Girls 2024 #883 34 8,487
BR Girls 0 #908 34 12,708
OM Boys 0 #917 2 17,948
PE Girls 0 #919 25 14,861
SA Girls 0 #924 12 25,931
MY Girls 0 #943 52 24,821
EG Girls 0 #946 14 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
CO Girls 0 #1,069 10 16,140
ZA Girls 0 #1,114 28 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,143 1 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,173 11 17,781
MY Boys 0 #1,181 2 25,439
MA 0 #1,197 3 20,986
TR 0 #1,201 11 19,440
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,272 1 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,452 20 10,046

Irena is popular in 80 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Switzerland
United States
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Irena

Irena is predominantly a girl's name.
Irena is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /iˈrɛna/ (EE-REH-nah) — common in Slavic/Greek; /aɪˈriːnə/ (eye-REE-nə) — common in English.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Irene, Irina, Iryna, Eirene, Eirini and Rena.
Across languages, Irena has these equivalents: Frida (Germanic, 'peace'), Shlomit/Salome (Hebrew roots, 'peace'), Pax (Latin, 'peace').
Yes — Irena ranked #131 in Switzerland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Irena ranks highest in Switzerland (#131 in 2024).
Irena's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #399 in 2008 to #400 in 2018 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Irena are in our database, including Irena Kwiatkowska (Actor), Irena Anders (Actor).