girl's name
Iris
EYE-ris
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 143,864
the United States
#61
2025 births
Iris is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "rainbow." Iris was the Greek goddess who carried messages between the gods and humanity along the rainbow, and the same word names both the flower and the colored part of the eye.
- Iris is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 3,741 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 886 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Iris over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 119 |
| 1890s | 374 |
| 1900s | 942 |
| 1910s | 4,432 |
| 1920s | 8,786 |
| 1930s | 8,241 |
| 1940s | 7,880 |
| 1950s | 8,944 |
| 1960s | 5,861 |
| 1970s | 4,712 |
| 1980s | 4,798 |
| 1990s | 5,589 |
| 2000s | 8,656 |
| 2010s | 15,389 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 17,597 |
What Iris means
Iris means rainbow, taken directly from the Greek. The word does triple duty in English — goddess, flower, and the colored ring of the eye — all from the same root, and all connected by the idea of color.
Where Iris comes from
Iris comes from the Greek iris, meaning rainbow. In myth Iris was the personification of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods, particularly of Hera, traveling between heaven and earth along the arc — a female counterpart to Hermes. The flower took the name for its range of colors, and anatomists applied it to the colored part of the eye for the same reason, giving English iridescent and iridium alongside it. The name entered English use in the Renaissance with other classical revivals and became genuinely popular during the Victorian enthusiasm for flower names, where it sat alongside Lily, Violet and Rose while carrying a mythological history the others lacked.
Iris in use
Iris names a goddess, a flower and part of the eye — all three from the Greek word for rainbow.
How popular is Iris?
In 2025, Iris was given to 3,741 babies in the United States, ranking #61 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Iris is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Iris is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Irïs | Irïs is a rare spelling of Iris, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Iris
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Iris also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Iris over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Iris in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Iris
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Iris — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Iris
What does the name Iris mean?
Iris means "rainbow," from the Greek.
Was Iris a goddess?
Yes. Iris personified the rainbow and carried messages between the gods and humanity.
Why is part of the eye called the iris?
For the same reason as the flower — both were named for the Greek word for rainbow, because of their color.
How popular is the name Iris?
In 2025, Iris was given to 3,741 babies in the United States, ranking #61 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Iris a girl's or a boy's name?
Iris is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Iris?
Iris has 2 syllables.
When was Iris most popular?
Iris peaked in 2025, when 3,741 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Iris a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Iris currently ranks #11 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.