Ren

Attested across 23 languages in the etymology graph.

Ren is one spelling over 4 language communities, and the dictionaries record it differently in 3 of them. Each row is what a source recorded for that language, beside the share of this name’s records the language holds. No single row is the name’s meaning.

• French36%

  abbreviation of Renaissance

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• English27%

  A kidney.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Chinese9.3%

  No dictionary in our sources glosses Ren in Chinese.

• Japanese7.1%

  Rōmaji transcription of れん

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

The share is ours — how much of this name’s records each language holds. The sense beside it is the source’s, quoted and credited, including where it names a gender. We do not publish a gender of our own per language: our records carry one figure for the spelling as a whole.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Ren, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Kylo
• Haru
• Sora
• Hiro
• Yuki
• Kenji
• Laurie
• Flo
• Akira
• Emiko
• Stevens
• Kaede

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Ren is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name24 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Australia, Philippines, Malaysia

  Languages: English, German

  Also written Rèn, Rén, Řen, Rën, Řėñ

• Spanish given name11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Philippines, United States, Argentina, Mexico

  Also written Rén, Reñ, Rën, Rèñ, Rên

• a separate name5 spellings in the group

  Also written Rèn, Řen, Rén, Rėn

• Portuguese given name3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, China, United States, Philippines

• Indonesian given name4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Philippines, China, United States

  Also written Rêñ, Řen, Rén

• Danish given name13 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, United States, China, Sweden

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish

  Also written Řen, Ręn, Rêñ, Reń, Rén

• Russian surname25 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Ukraine, Russia, China, United States

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian

  Also written Рень, Рен, Wren, Рэн, Rehn

76 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Ren is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In och, Human being, person, man; other persons, someone

  as a word·Schuessler, ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese (2007)

• In sit-pro, suffer, endure

  as a word·StarLing Tower of Babel etymological databases (Starostin et al.)

• In enm, alternative form of reyn (“rain”)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Li Xianb. 653not in their usual nameTang Dynasty crown prince
• Ren Ōsugib. 1951JPJapanese actor (1951-2018)
• Ren Woodsb. 1958USAmerican actress
• James Wanb. 1977MYnot in their usual nameMalaysian-Australian filmmaker (born 1977)
• Ren Kawaharab. 1980JPJapanese novelist and screenwriter
• Lee Inb. 1984KRnot in their usual nameSouth Korean actor (1984-)
• Ren Hayakawab. 1987KRJapanese archer
• Ren Gojōb. 1997JPJapanese AV actress and gravure idol
• Ren Komatsub. 1998JPJapanese association football player (1998-)
• Ren Shibamotob. 1999JPJapanese association football player (1999-)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Is Ren a male or female name?

Ren is used for both men and women. National registers that list it by sex count it under both: United States (Census Bureau, 2020). We don't publish a percentage split.

What does the name Ren mean, and where does it come from?

abbreviation of Renaissance Recorded by kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations).

What are other forms of the name Ren?

In the etymology graph, Renal is a form of the same name in other languages.

How do you pronounce Ren?

A machine transcription gives /ʁɑ̃/ (IPA) for French.

In which country does Ren have the most bearers?

Mondonomo estimates about 210 thousand people named Ren in China, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled ren.

How common is the name Ren?

In the United States, the national register counted 3,626 people named Ren in 2020, about 1 in 92 thousand residents.

How common is Ren compared with other names?

In Belgium, Ren is the 233rd most common given name of 59,589 given names recorded there.