Where I live [name]Irene[/name] is an unusual but also a timeless classic name that’s instantly recognizable.
Popular sportswomen, TV hosts and models included. [name]Iris[/name] is a common top 20 name.
In Spain [name]Irene[/name] is a top 10 choice.
I cannot help wondering why English speakers tend to like [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] (for floral and or mythological reasons) and feel that naming your kid [name]Irene[/name]/[name]Irena[/name] would sound like super granny.
[name]Both[/name] [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] have not been in the top of the charts for quite some time as far as I have seen in USA/UK and maybe also elsewhere in the English speaking world.
What do [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] have over [name]Irene[/name]/[name]Irena[/name]?
I accept that [name]Iris[/name] has a lovely extra meaning of rainbow and the blue flower is a more unusual pick then [name]Rose[/name] or [name]Daisy[/name] in the floral spectrum.
However (if that hurricane had been named [name]Iris[/name] or [name]Ivy[/name]) would [name]Irene[/name] have been the next vintage name on the rise?
Or do you feel English speakers need an extra generation to think about [name]Irene[/name] in a positive way?
Would love to hear your comments…
Where I live in [name]Texas[/name] I hear [name]Irene[/name] on all ages, my best friend’s Mother is named [name]Irene[/name] and she’s late 40s, a friend on fB just used it as a mn for her baby, I think it works for anyone and doesn’t need to skip a generation.
I think either because of my frame of reference it doesn’t sound vintage at all to unlike [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Iris[/name] (I cant say [name]Iris[/name] is vintage to me either its just exotic and unique) so I think that’s why it doesn’t fit in with the vintage charm trend.
I thought I replied, this might be a double post but I don’t think [name]Irene[/name] doesnt quite fits in the vintage trend, where I live right now I hear it on all ages, my best friends mother is mid 40s and her name is [name]Irene[/name], a friend just used it as her daughters mn so I think it’s accessible to anyone.
As for [name]Iris[/name], I think it holds an exotic appeal and people are just now brave enough to use it, [name]Ivy[/name] has a sweet vintage charm and the Y ending. If you love [name]Irene[/name] then I you should use it, the hurricane doesn’t really matter imo
I love [name]Irene[/name]! I’d spell it the greek way, [name]Eirene[/name], but it’s essentially the same. I also like [name]Irina[/name] a lot. [name]Irene[/name] is also mythological by the way, she was the personification of peace in greek mythology.
I think people find [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] more “special” and they’ve got the whole flower/nature thing going on that’s oh so popular.
I think [name]Irene[/name] is more hipster granny chic th an [name]Ivy[/name] & [name]Iris[/name] which I think of as nature names. [name]Irene[/name] is kind of not-cool cool. [name]Ivy[/name] & [name]Iris[/name] feel more pretty in earnest if that makes sense?
But I think in [name]America[/name] [name]Irene[/name] is middle aged feeling, the reen sound makes me think of renal failure, adding to the older lady vibe. [name]Irena[/name] on the other hand is a Russian model to me!
[name]Ivy[/name] is not that appealing to me personally.
I think if picking one I like [name]Iris[/name] or [name]Irena[/name] best.
I love [name]Irene[/name]! But [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] (also lovely), are flower names, which makes them more…accessible. [name]Irene[/name]'s going to take time to catch on. But in the meantime, enjoy being the rare [name]Irene[/name]?
Honestly, this completely baffles me. I adore the name [name]Irene[/name]! I think it’s stylish, timeless and unheard enough to sound distinctive. I prefer it to [name]Ivy[/name] immensely, and while I do like [name]Iris[/name] I’d still rather meet a little [name]Irene[/name]. And I’m from the Midwestern USA.
If my husband hadn’t suggested and convinced me that [name]Ingrid[/name] was amazing, then [name]Irene[/name] would probably be on my top contender list.
I love the name [name]Irene[/name], and have since I was a kid. I used to love old movies, and [name]Irene[/name] [name]Dunne[/name] was one of my favourite actresses. I’ve got to admit that I’m not on the [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] bandwagon. I don’t like either one. I would be so much more likely to name my daughter [name]Irene[/name]
Hmm, I’m not sure why [name]Irene[/name] isn’t coming back. Maybe it still needs one generation? Although I only know one [name]Irene[/name] and one [name]Ivy[/name], and they’re both about the same age–in their 80s or so! I used to love [name]Irene[/name]/[name]Irina[/name], and [name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Irina[/name] was on my list for a while, but it has lost its appeal to me, [name]Irene[/name] feels quite frumpy to me. [name]Iris[/name] feels more timeless to me in general than [name]Ivy[/name] or [name]Irene[/name], really–I know a woman in her fifties, probably, named [name]Iris[/name], and I have heard it considered by quite a few families in the past few years–it always seems just under the radar but always an appealing choice. But as for [name]Ivy[/name], that definitely feels vintage to me, I don’t know why [name]Ivy[/name] has come back but [name]Irene[/name] hasn’t yet…
My theory on why [name]Irene[/name] is not used much would be that in the US, almost any name ending in the “ene” sound ([name]Charlene[/name], [name]Jolene[/name], [name]Marlene[/name], [name]Darlene[/name], etc) is considered dated because it was very popular in past decades. [name]Long[/name] ago enough to be dated, but not too long ago to be out of people’s memories.
I think the reason [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Iris[/name] are more popular is because they fit into the “Word Name” and “Nature Name” themes that have become a very popular trend in the naming world recently.
This trend about only certain names being ready to be brought back is dumb. Who is the boss on bringing back certain names? Seriously, who cares if someone is wanting to use a name that is considered mom-ish or out of date. Irene is lovely and to me it has a lot more history than Iris and Ivy (I could be wrong, they were all used back in the day), though those two names are still lovely in their own right. I actually like a lot of names from my parents generation(the 50’s) and would use them any day. Of course, I don’t have any bad associations with the names from that generation, like some other people do so they sound good to me.
Sorry if this post sounded harsh. I just notice that some people on this site take this stuff too seriously. If someone does take offence to what I said, I am sorry for that.
I agree with pp that the issue is probably the sound -een being still out of style. But [name]Evangeline[/name] and [name]Emmeline[/name] might be bringing it back slowly.
I don’t care for the name due to personal association. But I do think as [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Ivy[/name] rise further they’ll pull it up.
I like the similar [name]Aileen[/name]/[name]Eileen[/name].
I’ll also note that in other languages [name]Irene[/name] is prn’d differently – ee-ray-nay or ee-reh-nee, which I find much prettier.
This exactly. If [name]Irene[/name] could be pronounced inEnglish the way it is in Greek, French, Arabic (ee-REHN) it would be very chic. That -even sound is as unfashionable as they come.
My great grandma was born around 1920 and is named [name]Iris[/name] [name]Irene[/name] so I thought it was fun to read all these responses. I tend to prefer [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Irene[/name] over [name]Ivy[/name] because [name]Ivy[/name] blends in too much with [name]Eve[/name] and [name]Ava[/name] in my mind. But, opinions aside, [name]Irene[/name] was more popular for the first few decades of the 20th century than [name]Ivy[/name] or [name]Iris[/name] have ever been so that probably plays a large role in why the name is so tied to a particular generation of women in the in the United States.
My guess is because it’s more of a middle aged name [or at least that’s how I associate it] than an really old fashioned name. Also, the trend of using botanical word names, [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Iris[/name] fit right in, whereas [name]Irene[/name] isn’t a word name.
There’s nothing wrong with the name [name]Irene[/name], if you like the name, then use it.
I think it has to do with how [name]Irene[/name] sounds in English. It’s my mom’s name and she hates the way is pn in English. She prefers the [name]German[/name] or French pn and has in vainly been trying to get people to pn it the way her parents did.
I actually know an [name]Irene[/name] who is about 14months. Although her parents are of Greek decent, she was born in Australia where it is not a popular baby name at all and I think this makes it stand out. It has a beautiful meaning and although everyone pronounces it I-reen, her parents pronounce it I-reh-na which is just beautiful.
I would prn. it the [name]German[/name] way: ee- [name]RAY[/name]-nuh or short form ee-[name]RAIN[/name]
However I see that people in USA and other English speakers would be hard to convince to prn. it that way.
[name]Do[/name] you feel that spelling [name]Irena[/name] would help?
