Iris (given name)

This article is about the given name Iris. For other uses, see Iris (disambiguation).
Iris
Iris by Alfons Mucha
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameGreek
Meaning"rainbow"
Popularitysee popular names

Iris (from Greek Ἶρις Ancient Greek: [îːris], the messenger of the gods among themselves and the personification of ἶρις, the "rainbow") is a feminine name.

The name came into use in English-speaking countries in the 1500s, first in reference to the goddess, and was later used along with other Ancient Greek names revived by 17th-century British poets, such as Doris and Phyllis. It is also used in reference to the flowering plant and likely inspired the use of other botanical names that became popular in the Anglosphere during the Victorian era.[1][2]

The name has ranked among the top 100 names given to baby girls in Belgium, Catalonia, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United States, and Wales during the 2010s.[2][3][4] It ranked 101st on the popularity chart in Canada in 2021, with 255 newborn Canadian girls given the name in that year.[5]

Woman with Iris by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1899
An iris is said to signify a sweet message in the language of flowers.

Notable people and characters with the name include:

People

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Fictional

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Equivalents from other cultures

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Foreign equivalents of Iris include:[6]

  • Eirys (Welsh)
  • Elestren (Cornish)
  • Ayame (Japanese)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ a b Evans, Cleveland Kent (12 June 2023). "Evans: Iris loved as a flower, worshipped as a goddess". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Meaning, origin and history of the name Iris".
  4. ^ "Names that increased in popularity from 2021 to 2022". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ^ "First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Names Inspired by Spring Flowers". NamepediA Blog. 2 April 2021.
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