Irini
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "peace".
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Irini. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Irini today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Irini births was 2003 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Irini. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Irini. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
2003
9 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,182
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Irini: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Irini from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 26 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Irini by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Irini during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Irini
The name Irini is derived from the Greek word "Eirene", which means peace. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was a popular name given to female children as a symbol of tranquility and serenity.
In Greek mythology, Eirene was the personification of peace, often depicted as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia and an olive branch. The name Irini first appeared in ancient Greek literature and inscriptions, indicating its widespread use in the region during classical antiquity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Irini was Irini of Athens, a renowned philosopher who lived in the 5th century BC. She was a student of Socrates and is mentioned in Plato's dialogues, earning recognition for her intellectual contributions in the field of ethics.
During the Byzantine Empire, the name Irini gained further prominence. Irene of Athens, born around 752 AD, was a Byzantine empress who ruled as the regent for her son, Constantine VI. Her reign was marked by significant religious and political reforms, and she is remembered for restoring the veneration of icons, a practice that had been banned during the iconoclastic period.
In the 12th century, Irene Ducas was a prominent figure in the Byzantine court. She was the wife of Andronicus I Comnenus, a Byzantine emperor, and played an influential role in the political affairs of the empire.
The name Irini has also been used by several saints in the Orthodox Christian tradition. One notable example is Saint Irene of Thessaloniki, a 4th-century martyr who faced persecution for her Christian faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.
Another significant figure bearing the name Irini was Irene Lascarina, a 13th-century Byzantine princess who married the Seljuk ruler Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II. This marriage alliance played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic ties between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum.
Throughout history, the name Irini has been associated with various influential women, including Irene of Hungary, a 12th-century Byzantine empress; Irene Sarantapechaina, a 14th-century Byzantine noblewoman; and Irene Gattilusio, a 15th-century ruler of Lesbos.
People
Irini + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Irini as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Irini: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Irini?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Irini going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Irini a common name?
We classify Irini as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Irini most popular?
The single biggest year for Irini was 2003, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Irini is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Irini a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Irini in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.