| Iris | Selena | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Iris flower / rainbow | Moon |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EYE-ris | suh-LEE-nuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (3,729) | 1995 (3,825) |
| In 2025 | 3,729 | 1,170 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Iris | Selena |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,499 | 7,747 |
| 2010s | 15,352 | 11,028 |
| 2000s | 8,644 | 12,417 |
| 1990s | 5,542 | 15,043 |
| 1980s | 4,739 | 3,362 |
| 1970s | 4,685 | 4,843 |
| 1960s | 5,807 | 2,535 |
| 1950s | 8,871 | 964 |
| 1940s | 7,814 | 455 |
| 1930s | 8,135 | 327 |
| 1920s | 8,672 | 424 |
| 1910s | 4,360 | 318 |
| 1900s | 937 | 179 |
| 1890s | 374 | 143 |
| 1880s | 119 | 102 |
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'.
From the Greek Selene, the goddess of the moon.
Iris is more popular than Selena today: about 3,729 US babies were given the name Iris in 2025, compared with 1,170 named Selena.
Iris means Iris flower / rainbow (greek origin), while Selena means Moon (Greek origin).
In US records, Iris first appears in 1880 and Selena in 1880, so Iris has the longer recorded history.