boy's name · in the US
Rene
ruh-NAY
- Origin French
- Gender Boy (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 590,832
Rene is a name from the Latin for reborn, given at baptism to mark spiritual rebirth. It is one of very few names that describes a religious event rather than a quality, a saint or a place.
- Rene is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 1,649 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 15,788 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Rene Over Time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 69,395 |
| 1910s | 81,415 |
| 1920s | 139,830 |
| 1930s | 104,185 |
| 1940s | 66,365 |
| 1950s | 39,105 |
| 1960s | 12,230 |
| 1970s | 2,475 |
| 1980s | 925 |
| 1990s | 375 |
| 2000s | 170 |
| 2010s | 85 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 50 |
What Rene Means
Rene means reborn, or born again. The Latin is a past participle meaning literally born a second time, and it referred to baptism rather than to anything about the child.
Where Rene Comes From
Rene is the French René, from the Latin Renatus — re, again, joined to natus, born. Early Christians took it as a baptismal name marking the spiritual rebirth that baptism was held to accomplish, which makes it unusual: most names describe a quality, honor a saint or record a place, while this one names a sacrament. The feminine Renée is formed the same way. René Descartes is its most consequential bearer, and the unaccented Rene is the form English-language registers record, which is why birth records list it under that spelling.
Rene in Use
Rene peaked in 1962, when 1,649 babies were registered in its largest market, and is falling. It now ranks 1,093rd in the United States on 210 births, 1,873rd in England and Wales and 2,466th in France on 10, across 590,832 lifetime births in four markets. About 4 percent of recorded births are female, reflecting the feminine Renée being recorded under the same unaccented spelling.
How Popular Is Rene?
In 2025, Rene was given to 210 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Rene 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 Rene Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| René | René is a rare spelling of Rene, written with an acute accent and recorded about 516,595 times, mostly in France. | 516,595 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Rene
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Rene Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rene over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Rene is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Boys' 7% girls · 2,438 babies
- England & Wales Both 34% girls · 155 babies
- Canada Boys' 0% girls · 101 babies
- France Boys' 0% girls · 85 babies
How to Say Rene
- Pronunciation ruh-NAY /ʁə.ne/
Rene 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 Rene
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Rene — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Rene
What does the name Rene mean?
Reborn — the Latin Renatus, born again, referring to baptism.
Is Rene a boys' or girls' name?
Both. René is masculine and Renée feminine in French; about 4 percent of recorded births under this spelling are female.
Why does the name mean reborn?
It was a baptismal name marking the spiritual rebirth baptism was held to accomplish.
How popular is Rene?
1,093rd in the United States and 2,466th in France.
How many syllables are in Rene?
Rene has 2 syllables.
Is Rene a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rene currently ranks #1,093 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.