What do you think of Irene?

[gridreference]

What do you think of Irene as a girl's name? It's listed on Mumsnet's Baby Name Finder.

How would you pronounce it?

[BonsoirAnna]

I - reen

in English.

I really don't like it at all! I don't like names that end in the -een sound on the whole.

[Firawla]

eye-reen

I quite like it, the meaning is really nice, I like the letter I for an initial letter, and it has a nice calming feel to it. The downside is that it could be seen as dated, but still I like it and I think as Iris has become popular these days it could be very useable as similar to that?

[Tidey]

She's a flamin' lush off Home and Away. I haven't actually watched it in years, so I dunno whether she's still in it, but that's what my first thought was.

[mazzystartled]

DD's middle name is irene, pronounced eye-reenie (like Irene Handl), after dh's granny.

It was going to be her first name but then we had another idea that seemed to suit her better

I think it is beautiful, with a lovely meaning

[audley]

I like it eye-reenie, rather sweet

[liath]

I like it if pronounced Ireenie (have just read The Forsyte Saga!).

[TheFallenMadonna]

Eye-REE-nie - as in the Forsyte Saga - is rather nice. And if I saw the name on a class list that would be my first stab at pronunciation I think. If I was faced with an elderly woman, I would say EYE-rene, which is much less pleasant.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

My friend is German. This is her Mums name - pronounced "Ee Rain A". I like it like that, but "eye reen" sounds old and tired.

[WickedWench]

Sorry, hate it. Irene (Eyereen) is a late middle aged lady name. My Mum has three friends called Irene, all in their early sixties and two of them are know as Reenie. Yuk.

I did used to work with a girl called Irena - pronounced 'ihrenna' - her parents were Polish immigrants though so probably a proper Polish name. I think that is much nicer.

[wheresclaire]

Reenie is nice. Irene just sounds too dated.

[hatwoman]

no. don't like it. it might come into fashion in 20 years - when people whose grannies were called Irene are having kids. but we're not ready for it yet. it sits with Valerie and Jean. not with Iris, Elsie, and Harry.

[dogonpoints]

I don't like it at all.

Eye-reen.

[ravenAK]

Eye-reen-ee.

I have a mate (in his late 60s now) whose ex was called Irene, & he was haunted by a song called 'Irene, I'll see you in my dreams'.

A murder ballad maybe?

Anyway, my associations with the name are now, well, a bit creepy.

Eirene maybe?

[spicybingowings]

old fashioned and not particularly nice.

eye - reen.

Eye - reen - ee - sounds ok.

[seeker]

When my dd was born she still had a living Great great grandmother. She was a fabulous,feisty, incredibly switched on 102 year old lady called Irene (Rene for short). We really wanted to honour her in our dd's name, but just couldn't bring ourselves to use Irene, even as a 3rd name! So dd has Irina (the Russian version) as part of her name, and loves it. Honour satisfied on all sides.

But I wouldn't use it as a first name.

[dogonpoints]

I had a very similar problem, seeker. Couldn't bring myself to use it at all

[dogonpoints]

plus there was an old witch of a relative on the same side of the family called Reenie (never sure how she spelled it)

[angelene]

"Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams"

Beautiful song but I'm not sure I particularly like the name.

[seeker]

We always used to sing that at family parties for the aforementioned ancient Irene! Oh the memories!

It's quite nice if it's pronounced E-ren, in the French way. But there's no way you could make that happen/

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

My niece is Irina (pr. EE-ree-nah), which is lovely. Nickname Irinel (ee-ree-nehl).

[pasturesnew]

I like it pronounced eye-reenie.

[twirlymum]

Irene Handl. From Metal Mickey.

[Bigboots]

Dexy's Midnight Runners! 'C'mon Irene'

[bellissima]

Its like Agnes. Continental pronunciation lovely, English pronunciation great-auntish.