Iris
Meaning of Iris
Iris comes from the Greek word iris, meaning rainbow. In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods. The same word also names the iris flower and the colored part of the eye, both of which took their English names from Greek. Name dictionaries agree on this Greek origin.
In English, Iris is pronounced EYE-ris (/aɪˈrɪs/); American and British speakers use the same pronunciation. The first syllable rhymes with eye, and the second is unstressed.
The name's best-known classical association is the messenger goddess. Among modern namesakes, Iris Murdoch was the novelist and philosopher who won the Booker Prize, and Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman and designer celebrated as a fashion icon.
Iris has become markedly more common in the United States. It ranked No. 61 in 2025, when 3,729 girls were given the name, its highest position on record. In 2007 it stood at No. 317, and by 2015 it had reached No. 216. The name has climbed steadily from there, and 2025 was both its largest annual count and its best rank.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as EYE-ris (/aɪˈrɪs/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Iris
| Dame Iris Murdoch was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher whose probing moral tales earned a Booker Prize and lasting acclaim as one of the greatest postwar British writers. |
| Iris Chang was an American journalist, historian, and activist best known for The Rape of Nanking, with her work inspiring films and a biography. |
| Iris Apfel was an American businesswoman and designer whose flamboyant style and giant glasses made her a fashion icon, after a textiles career that included White House work, a Met exhibit, a 2014 documentary, and modeling at 97. |
| Iris Origo was an English-born biographer and writer who settled in Italy and devoted herself to improving La Foce, the Tuscan estate she and her husband bought in the 1920s. |
| Iris van Herpen is a Dutch fashion designer who fuses technology with couture, founded her label in 2007, became a guest member of Paris haute couture in 2011, shows at Paris Fashion Week, and has work in major museums including the Met and the Victoria and Albert Museum. |
| Iris Apatow is an American actress known for playing Arya Hopkins in the Netflix series Love and Krystal Kris in the 2022 Netflix film The Bubble. |
| Laura van den Bruel is a Belgian singer who performs under the names Iris and Airis. |
| Iris Law is an English model and actress. |
