Iris is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Iris means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Iris across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Iris has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Iris is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “rainbow”. the goddess of the rainbow; also a flower.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 102,320 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 10,366 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 556 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 68 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 478 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 87 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Iris per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2025 (3,741/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2022 (762/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2024 (39/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (39/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2023 (13/yr).
Iris has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #160 nationally (given to 4,570 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2020s.
Ares · Eris · Aries · Oris · Arissa · Orris · Aris · Eros
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