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 [ 2 syll. i-ris, ir-is ] The girl name Iris is pronounced AYRahS KEY. Iris is of Old Greek origin. It is used mainly in Dutch, English, and German. Derived literally from the word iris with the meaning 'rainbow'. The name was borne in Greek mythology by the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. Iris is also a genus of flowering plants named after the rainbow. The first name was adopted by English speakers in the 16th century as a flower name, and also in reference to the sphincter around the pupil of the eye, which is named for its myriad of colors. The first name later enjoyed an increase in use during the late 19th century vogue for flower and plant names. Variants of Iris include Iride (Italian), Irisa (English), Irisha (Russian and English), Irissa (English), Risa (English), Risha (English), and Rissa (English). Irita (pet form in English) is another variant of the name. Iris is an all-time favorite. Currently it is still rather popular as a baby girl name, but not as much as it was in the past. The name's popularity grew from the 1900s up to the 1920s; before that, it was of only modest use. Its usage peaked in 1928 with 0.085% of baby girls being named Iris. It was #200 in rank then. The baby name has dropped in popularity since then. In 2008, it ranked at #341 with a usage of 0.047%, but it was nevertheless the most regularly used among all girl names in its family. Baby names that sound like Iris include Irish (English), Arezoo (Iranian), Argia (Italian), Arza (Hebrew), Orsa (English), Irisa (English), Irisha (Russian and English), Irissa (English), Iruka (Igbo), Irusya (Latvian), Aaricia (Scandinavian), Arica (English), Arika (English), Ariza (Hebrew), and Arusha (Indian). A famous person named Iris is Author, Iris Murdoch, born 15 July 1919 - 8 February 1999, Dublin, Ireland. KEY: Pronunciation for Iris: AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)"   |
