| River | Wren | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | River | small songbird (the wren) |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | RIV-er | REN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1971 | 1888 |
| Peak year | 2021 (3,504) | 2022 (1,609) |
| In 2025 | 3,139 | 1,331 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | River | Wren |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 19,236 | 8,023 |
| 2010s | 13,860 | 4,477 |
| 2000s | 4,449 | 677 |
| 1990s | 2,023 | 169 |
| 1980s | 82 | 101 |
| 1970s | 26 | 77 |
| 1960s | 0 | 44 |
| 1950s | 0 | 58 |
| 1940s | 0 | 5 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
| 1880s | 0 | 5 |
An English nature name taken directly from the word 'river' (ultimately from Latin riparia, riparius 'of the riverbank').
A nature name taken directly from the English word for the small, energetic songbird, from Old English 'wrenna'. It also exists as an English surname. Its use as a first name is modern.
River is more popular than Wren today: about 3,139 US babies were given the name River in 2025, compared with 1,331 named Wren.
River means River (english origin), while Wren means small songbird (the wren) (english origin).
In US records, River first appears in 1971 and Wren in 1888, so Wren has the longer recorded history.