Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Ren

Meaning Ren is a given name, most often Japanese Gender Unisex · 22% girls Rank 2025 #1,041 Trend ↑ Rising 89%

Ren is a given name, most often Japanese.

Rank 2025
#1,041
among boys · ↑108 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
298
named Ren · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,019
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
298 babies
All-time total
3,634
#2,653 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Ren popularity over time

3,634 babies have been named Ren since 1915, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 17 17 2 – #3,892
1920s – 22 22 2 +29% #2,739
1930s – 19 19 2 -14% #3,222
1940s – 59 59 6 +211% #2,202
1950s – 70 70 7 +19% #2,277
1960s – 65 65 7 -7% #2,479
1970s – 33 33 3 -49% #3,467
1980s 11 201 212 21 +542% #1,763
1990s 16 192 208 21 -2% #2,447
2000s 68 280 348 35 +67% #2,694
2010s 244 759 1,003 100 +188% #1,510
2020s (to 2025) 477 1,101 1,578 263 +162% #1,041

Where Ren is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 238 0.14 outside top 500
2027 262 0.15 outside top 500
2028 284 0.17 outside top 500
2029 304 0.18 outside top 500
2030 322 0.19 outside top 500

Where Ren is most popular

Boys named Ren per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.112 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Utah, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ren born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 20 1.29 +1053%
Utah 41 0.430 +284%
Washington 46 0.281 +152%
California 175 0.191 +71%
Nevada 10 0.175 +57%
Oregon 10 0.132 +18%
Michigan 25 0.122 +9%
New York 48 0.111 ≈ national
Minnesota 13 0.106 -5%
Missouri 14 0.101 -10%
Texas 81 0.092 -18%
Illinois 21 0.082 -26%
Georgia 20 0.079 -29%
Pennsylvania 20 0.075 -33%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 -35%
Florida 33 0.070 -38%
Virginia 13 0.069 -39%
North Carolina 16 0.063 -44%
Indiana 10 0.062 -44%
Ohio 16 0.060 -46%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -49%
Arizona 8 0.049 -56%
Colorado 5 0.039 -65%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -70%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ren

Ren is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,041 in 2025 with 213 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 3,634 American babies have been named Ren, about 78% boys and 22% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 298 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ren stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ren?

The median living Ren is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 16. An estimated 3,500 people named Ren are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ren year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 85 #2,190 213 #1,041
2024 83 #2,262 183 #1,149
2023 88 #2,173 199 #1,083
2022 87 #2,187 188 #1,128
2021 80 #2,305 182 #1,123
2020 54 #3,003 136 #1,323
2019 58 #2,884 102 #1,620
2018 38 #3,907 87 #1,773
2017 31 #4,559 93 #1,703
2016 28 #4,959 113 #1,510
2015 13 #8,846 72 #2,014
2014 15 #7,979 71 #2,014
2013 13 #8,945 66 #2,062
2012 15 #8,131 56 #2,318
2011 22 #6,103 43 #2,785
2010 11 #10,314 56 #2,315
2009 11 #10,519 46 #2,694
2008 12 #9,954 42 #2,870
2007 11 #10,666 35 #3,232
2006 12 #9,779 24 #4,078
2005 8 #12,758 35 #3,001
2004 8 #12,491 20 #4,381
2003 6 #15,341 23 #3,822
2002 – – 19 #4,294
2001 – – 19 #4,259
2000 – – 17 #4,525
1995 – – 9 #6,305
1990 – – 25 #2,681
1985 – – 32 #1,863
1980 – – 6 #6,076
1975 – – – –
1970 – – 9 #3,467
1965 – – 6 #3,844
1960 – – 8 #3,280
1955 – – 9 #2,928
1950 – – 7 #3,260
1945 – – 9 #2,542
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – 6 #3,922
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 5 #4,288
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ren

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 René Descartes René Descartes French polymath (1596–1650) 16th century
  2. 2 René Angélil René Angélil Canadian musical producer, talent manager, and singer (1942–2016) Contemporary
  3. 3 René Magritte René Magritte Belgian painter (1898–1967) 19th century
  4. 4 René Girard René Girard French anthropologist and philosopher (1923–2015) Contemporary
  5. 5 René Higuita René Higuita Colombian footballer (born 1966) Contemporary
  6. 6 René Guénon René Guénon French intellectual (1886–1951) 19th century
  7. 7 René Goscinny René Goscinny French comic book writer (1926–1977) Contemporary
  8. 8 René Lacoste René Lacoste French tennis player (1904–1996) Contemporary
  9. 9 René Coty René Coty President of France from 1954 to 1959 1882–1962 · 19th century
  10. 10 Ren Zhengfei Ren Zhengfei Chinese entrepreneur and engineer (born 1944) Contemporary
  11. 11 René of Anjou René of Anjou King of Naples (1435–1442) and Duke of Anjou (1434–1480) 1409–1480 · Medieval
  12. 12 René Laennec René Laennec French physician (1781–1826) 18th century
  13. 13 René II, Duke of Lorraine René II, Duke of Lorraine Duke of Lorraine from 1473 to 1508 1451–1508 · Medieval
  14. 14 René Arnoux René Arnoux French racing driver (born 1948) Contemporary
  15. 15 René Lalique René Lalique French jeweller and glass designer (1860-1945) 19th century
  16. 16 René Barrientos Politician, Bolivia 1919–1969 · Contemporary
  17. 17 René Préval Politician, Haiti 1943–2017 · Contemporary
  18. 18 René Clair René Clair French filmmaker and writer (1898–1981) 19th century
  19. 19 René Fonck Pilot, France 1894–1953 · 19th century
  20. 20 René Clément René Clément French film director and screenwriter (1913–1996) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ren, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ren?

The median living Ren is about 7 years old. Half of all living Rens are between 3 and 16 years old.

How many people named Ren are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Ren are alive in the United States, based on 3,634 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ren mean?

Ren is a given name, most often Japanese.

How popular is the name Ren in 2025?

Ren ranked #1,041 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 213 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ren?

3,634 babies have been named Ren in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ren most popular?

Ren peaked in 2025, when 298 newborns received the name.

Is Ren a boy or girl name?

Ren is used for both: about 22% of babies named Ren have been girls and 78% boys.

Is the name Ren rising or falling?

Ren is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ren become more popular?

Ren is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 322 boys named Ren in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ren?

Well-known people named Ren include René Descartes (philosopher), René Angélil (producer), René Magritte (painter).

Names like Ren

Names that sound and feel close to Ren: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ren with similar names → More names starting with R →