Wren: meaning and UK use

What does Wren mean?

Wren comes from the English bird word, traced to Old English wrenna. The reference records use for more than one gender.

Language or name family covered

English bird name

Meaning or derivation

The wren bird

Our browsing group

girl; nature, modern

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Wren

Pronunciation and related forms

REN (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Wren?

In 2025, 362 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Wren, making it the 137th most popular girls’ name. That is down 9 places on 2024, when it ranked 128th. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 400th, so it has climbed 263 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2024, at 128th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

137th

2025 registrations

362

Best rank in this series

128th (2024)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Wren: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	137	362
2024	128	377
2023	129	387
2022	150	326
2021	184	279
2020	217	219
2019	210	236
2018	233	216
2017	252	197
2016	334	147
2015	400	115
2014	481	89
2013	528	79
2012	812	47
2011	1096	31
2010	2589	9
2009	1596	17
2008	1516	18
2007	2233	10
2006	5061	3
2005	2438	8
2004	3725	4
2003	4373	3
2002	3409	4
2001	—	Not published
2000	—	Not published
1999	3900	3
1998	—	Not published
1997	—	Not published
1996	—	Not published

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 3,186. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Wren

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Islamodern, nature · Scottish form of Islay
• Junipernature, modern · The juniper tree
• Lunamodern, nature · Moon
• Poppynature, modern · The poppy flower
• Willownature, modern · The willow tree
• Amaramodern · Grace

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Wren, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.