The baby name Irja is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈir.jɑ/ (EER-yah).
The baby name Irja is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈir.jɑ/ (EER-yah).
Irja is Estonian, Finnish in Origin.
Irja is a feminine given name used chiefly in Finland and Estonia. It developed as a local form of Irina/Irene, ultimately from Greek Eirene, “peace.” In Finnish, the -ja ending reflects native phonology, yielding a compact, two-syllable name with a bright vowel profile.
The name came into wider circulation in the early 1900s, coinciding with Nordic trends of adapting international saints’ names into Finnish and Estonian forms. It reached peak popularity around the mid-20th century and is now rarer for newborns, though familiar in Nordic-Baltic contexts. Variants and cognates include Irina (Russian, Slavic), Irene/Irène (English, French), Irena (Polish, Czech, Slovene), Eirene/Irini (Greek), and Iryna (Ukrainian). Short forms include Ira in Finnish and Slavic use; related diminutives include Irinka and Irusha in East Slavic. Alternative local spellings are few, with Irja remaining the standard Finnish-Estonian form.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | 0 | #32 | 2 | 2,537 | |
| EE | 0 | #36 | 2 | 1,051 | |
| Finland | Girls | 2026 | #98 | 6,845 | 3,895 |
| EE | Girls | 0 | #136 | 7 | 1,888 |
| Finland | Girls | 0 | #158 | 484 | 1,368 |
| NA | Girls | 0 | #171 | 54 | 7,146 |
| Sweden | Girls | 2021 | #181 | 3 | 1,666 |
| PT | 0 | #250 | 1 | 4,161 | |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #251 | 3 | 6,830 |
| Finland | 0 | #276 | 32 | 830 | |
| SG | 0 | #282 | 1 | 11,010 | |
| HR | Girls | 0 | #294 | 1 | 3,687 |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #328 | 2 | 7,429 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #523 | 1 | 11,913 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #925 | 1 | 15,035 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #926 | 1 | 14,506 |
| NL | Girls | 0 | #940 | 16 | 5,933 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #980 | 2 | 15,656 |
| BR | Girls | 0 | #992 | 1 | 12,708 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,033 | 1 | 16,355 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,072 | 1 | 24,821 |
| MA | 0 | #1,199 | 1 | 20,986 | |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,267 | 1 | 17,781 |
Irja is popular in 17 countries — most recent births per country:
Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!