NameRealm
Ren

Ren: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“lotus; love; connection”
Origin
Japanese
Say it
REN · 1 syllable
Used for
Both (22% girls, 78% boys since 1880)

As a Japanese given name, Ren can be written with several kanji, producing different meanings, including 'lotus' or 'love'. It is also used in other traditions, but the Japanese name is the best-known source for this spelling.

Japanese namesNames meaning flowerNames meaning loveNames meaning natureShort namesInternational namesNature names

How popular is Ren?

202480.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
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.

Babies named Ren in 2024265

2024 rank#1,143 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 18803,332

Ren is rising: use over the last five years is 3.8× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Ren

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Renaereborn · French
  • Akirabright, clear · Japanese
  • Akarilight or brightness · Japanese
  • Sorasky · Japanese
  • Koicarp · Japanese

Ren questions

What does the name Ren mean?

Ren means "lotus; love; connection". It comes from Japanese. As a Japanese given name, Ren can be written with several kanji, producing different meanings, including 'lotus' or 'love'. It is also used in other traditions, but the Japanese name is the best-known source for this spelling.

Is Ren a boy or girl name?

Ren is used for both: about 22% of US babies named Ren since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Ren?

265 US babies were named Ren in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Ren?

Ren is usually pronounced REN.

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.