Unisex name · Japanese
Ren
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: lotus; love (depends on characters)Ren is a gender-neutral name that comes from Japanese and means "lotus; love (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Lotus; love (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #2190 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Ren
As a gender-neutral name, Ren comes from Japanese and means "lotus; love (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Ren is also a surname: the 3,943rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 8,740 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Ren on our names that mean love and names that mean flower lists.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Ren in Japanese
In hiragana, Ren is れん. In kanji it can be written several ways, and each choice gives the name its own meaning. These are spellings used for the name, with what each kanji means.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 蓮 | れん | 蓮 lotus |
| 廉 | れん | 廉 pure, honest |
| 連 | れん | 連 lead, group |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Ren on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Ren on 4 lists.
“蓮: lotus. A top-5 boys' name in Japan in 2025; 恋, love, is a girlier spelling”
From Anime girl names, unisex Japanese names anime gives to girls
“Duty, office; to appoint. Cantonese Yam, Wade-Giles Jen”
From Chinese last names, chinese surnames from titles, jobs and everyday words
“Lotus; love (depends on characters). Japanese 蓮 is the lotus”
From Flower names for girls, unisex flower names
“Lotus; ranked fifth in 2025 and also used for girls.”
From Japanese boy names, popular Japanese boy names in 2025
How popular is Ren?
In 2025, 85 girls and 213 boys in the US were named Ren.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #2,190
- 85 babies, 53 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2,173 in 2023
- 88 babies that year
- Babies since 1983
- At least 816
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 1 per million |
| 1990s | 1 per million |
| 2000s | 4 per million |
| 2010s | 14 per million |
| 2020s | 49 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,959 | #4,559 | #3,907 | #2,884 | #3,003 | #2,305 | #2,187 | #2,173 | #2,262 | #2,190 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,041
- 213 babies, 125 per million boys
- Best rank
- #1,041 in 2025
- 213 babies that year
- Babies since 1915
- At least 2,818
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 3 per million |
| 1920s | 2 per million |
| 1930s | 2 per million |
| 1940s | 4 per million |
| 1950s | 3 per million |
| 1960s | 3 per million |
| 1970s | 2 per million |
| 1980s | 11 per million |
| 1990s | 10 per million |
| 2000s | 14 per million |
| 2010s | 40 per million |
| 2020s | 106 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,510 | #1,703 | #1,773 | #1,620 | #1,323 | #1,123 | #1,128 | #1,083 | #1,149 | #1,041 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Ren
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ReneReborn (Latin, unisex)
- RanOrchid (Japanese, girl)
- ReiTinkling jade (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- RexKing (Latin, boy)
- RinDignified; bell (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- RonSong, joy (Hebrew, boy)
- RioRiver (Spanish, unisex)
- RubenBehold, a son (Hebrew, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- AmandaWorthy of love (Latin, girl)
- AiLove; indigo (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AmadeusLove of God (Latin, boy)
- AmorLove (Latin, unisex)
- ErosLove (Greek, boy)
- MinnaLove (Old German, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- AgapiLove, affection (Greek, girl)
- AgapiosLove (Greek, boy)
- AhavaLove (Hebrew, girl)
Middle names for Ren
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Japanese
- KaiSea (Japanese, boy)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- AkariLamplight (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkemiBright beauty (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AkihikoBright prince (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkihiroBright and wide (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AkikoBright child; autumn child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Ren: common questions
What does the name Ren mean?
Ren comes from Japanese and means "lotus; love (depends on characters)". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Ren a boy or girl name?
Ren is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 85 girls and 213 boys in the US were named Ren, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Ren come from?
Ren comes from Japanese and means "lotus; love (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Ren in Japanese?
Ren is written れん in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 蓮 (lotus), 廉 (pure) and 連 (lead). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Ren?
Ren ranked #2,190 in the US in 2025, with 85 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Ren?
Names spelled like Ren include Rene, Ran, Rei, Rex and Rin.
What middle names go with Ren?
Middle names that flow well with Ren include Ambrose, Dennis, Eugene, Forest and Laurence. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.