The Art of Literary Nomenclature

ORIGIN:
Usually pronounced “ie-REEN”, “ie-REE-nee”, or “ee-RE-ne”; from the Greek “Eirene”, meaning “peace”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Arina, Arine, Arisha, Eireen, Eirene, Ena, Ira, Irena, Irenka, Iria, Irina, Irine, Irja, Iryna, Rene, Renee, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Irene Andersen, who rents a room in the home she shares with her mother, Mrs. Lorch, to Thea Kronborg, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Irene Ibsen Bille (1901-1985), Norwegian novelist and playwright.
– Irene Hunt (1907-2001), American children’s book writer.
– Irène Némirovsky (1903-1942), Russian novelist.

Tagged: 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, Danish, English, Finnish, German, Greek, I, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

§ One Response to Irene

• Endangered or Extinct First Names | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  May 31, 2015 at 7:58 am

  […] Edna, Ethel, Eveline, Fanny, Freda, Gail, Gertrude, Gladys, Glenda, Gwendoline, Helen, Hilda, Irene, Jackie, Jane, Janet, Janis, Jeanne, Jennie, Jill, Judith, Kay, Leslie, Lilian, Lizzie, Lynda, […]

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