| Athena | Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Goddess of wisdom | Iris flower / rainbow |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-THEE-nah | EYE-ris |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1902 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,029) | 2025 (3,729) |
| In 2025 | 2,477 | 3,729 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Athena | Iris |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,536 | 17,499 |
| 2010s | 18,303 | 15,352 |
| 2000s | 6,169 | 8,644 |
| 1990s | 3,191 | 5,542 |
| 1980s | 2,964 | 4,739 |
| 1970s | 2,588 | 4,685 |
| 1960s | 1,517 | 5,807 |
| 1950s | 786 | 8,871 |
| 1940s | 203 | 7,814 |
| 1930s | 245 | 8,135 |
| 1920s | 416 | 8,672 |
| 1910s | 183 | 4,360 |
| 1900s | 17 | 937 |
| 1890s | 0 | 374 |
| 1880s | 0 | 119 |
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war; the name’s ultimate meaning is uncertain.
From Greek 'iris' meaning 'rainbow'; Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow. The iris flower was named for its rainbow range of colours, so the name functions both as a bloom word and a word for 'rainbow'.
Iris is more popular than Athena today: about 3,729 US babies were given the name Iris in 2025, compared with 2,477 named Athena.
Athena means Goddess of wisdom (Greek origin), while Iris means Iris flower / rainbow (greek origin).
In US records, Athena first appears in 1902 and Iris in 1880, so Iris has the longer recorded history.