Iris

Iris: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “rainbow”
Origin: Greek
Say it: EYE-ris · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

In Greek mythology, Iris is the rainbow goddess and messenger of the gods. It is also the name of the flower, from the same Greek word.

Greek names English names Names meaning sky Names meaning flower Names meaning nature Classic names Mythological names Nature names

How popular is Iris?

2024943 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Iris in 20243,140

2024 rank#71 girls

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 188098,551

Iris is rising: use over the last five years is 2.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Iris

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek
Zoeylife · Greek

Iris questions

What does the name Iris mean?

Iris means "rainbow". It comes from Greek. In Greek mythology, Iris is the rainbow goddess and messenger of the gods. It is also the name of the flower, from the same Greek word.

Is Iris a boy or girl name?

Iris is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Iris?

3,140 US babies were named Iris in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Iris?

Iris is usually pronounced EYE-ris.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.