Opinions on Irene?

[babynameratings]

I have received a lot of mixed opinions on the name Irene and was wondering what the general consensus would be on the name. Nice or too old lady?

I really don't like it, sorry.

Too old lady, sorry.

It’s really pretty, but it’s still considered an ‘old lady name’.

oh no 🙈 it’s sooo ‘bingo hall cleaner’ 😬

Eye-reen- not keen
Eye-reen-ee- lovely but you'll be forever correcting people

Horrendous sorry

I’m not keen. I don’t like names ending with the sound ‘een’ generally.

It's very old lady, but very cool. I really like it.

Ruby sounded very old lady 25 years ago and now look how common it has become. Just takes ears to become accustomed.

I also know a few little Margots now which would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

I like it, but with the Eye-reeny pronunciation.
Renee is nice too, with the Ren-nay pronunciation.

Awful.

Still lots of old ladies around with this name. It's on a par with Maureen, Doreen etc. PP suggested Renee, but it needs an accent to be pronounced right. Renée. So it's Ren nay not Ree knee. It makes me think of Allo Allo though.

It’s the eeen sounds. They haven’t aged well and it’s not even like it’s two generations up which is usually the fashion for older names. I actually have friends mums called Irene. Pauline. Eileen. It’s all a bit caravan in clacton.

This

I know an Irene pronounced Ir-Eh-ne. The first syllable is pronounced Ir as in iritated, not eye.

Yes exactly

however it feels like it’s part of the generation of names about to be revived, and it probably will get pronounced properly as Eye-ree-nee as part of that revival, because it’s so much nicer.. so you could be in the vanguard, I knew a couple of elderly ladies with the 3 syllables a decade or two ago, so I think Eye-reen (which is a US import) came later

That’s what I mean tho, it’s too soon to revive. Ruby and Margot are beloved deceased great grandmothers. Maureen still serves you 20 benson and hedges in the corner shop.

I absolutely love Irene. It would be topping my list if I didn't already have an Irene in the family!

Unless you're giving birth to a 65 yaar old, I wouldn't.

I love it but I'm a bit biased as I used to have a wonderful Auntie Irene. I used to know a little Irene, she would be about 10 now, a feisty little girl who suited her name.

That’s the only pronunciation of it I like.

I'm going to dissent and say it's a much nicer sound than the Esther / Edith / ivy brigade. I'm biased as a well loved Aunt Irene died last year and I'd like to see it come back, but it's a pretty name.

Love it. It's elegant and timeless.

I quite often see names called 'old lady' or 'old man' on MN and it makes me laugh because names like Daisy, Poppy, Jack, William, Harry, Joseph, Elsie, Ruby, Betty to name but a few were considered 'old people' names not that long ago.

And you wouldn't have dreamt of calling your children anything that was considered 'wacky' at the time like Portia, Freya, Hermione.

Someone has to go first with making names popular/normal again.

Don't like Irene, but Irenie is v cool

I adore it. If you do too, use it. You'll never find one which everyone likes, so you might as well use one which you think is beautiful!

(I especially like the Eye-ree-nee pronunciation, but both are beautiful.)