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