What does Ren mean?
Ren is often written with the kanji for “lotus” or “love,” depending on the characters.
What does Sora mean?
Sora means “sky” in Japanese.
Ren vs Sora
Which is more popular?
Ren is more popular than Sora today: about 213 US babies were given the name Ren in 2025, compared with 63 named Sora.
| Ren | Sora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lotus; love | Sky |
| Origin | Japanese | Japanese |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | REN | SOH-rah |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1915 | 2004 |
| Peak year | 2025 (213) | 2022 (77) |
| In 2025 | 213 | 63 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Ren
Sora
Source: US Social Security Administration.
Births by decade
| Decade | Ren | Sora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,101 | 342 |
| 2010s | 759 | 258 |
| 2000s | 280 | 63 |
| 1990s | 192 | 0 |
| 1980s | 201 | 0 |
| 1970s | 33 | 0 |
| 1960s | 65 | 0 |
| 1950s | 70 | 0 |
| 1940s | 59 | 0 |
| 1930s | 19 | 0 |
| 1920s | 22 | 0 |
| 1910s | 17 | 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Ren or Sora more popular?
Ren is more popular than Sora today: about 213 US babies were given the name Ren in 2025, compared with 63 named Sora.
What is the difference between Ren and Sora?
Ren means Lotus; love (Japanese origin), while Sora means Sky (Japanese origin).
Which name is older, Ren or Sora?
In US records, Ren first appears in 1915 and Sora in 2004, so Ren has the longer recorded history.