Wren

How to say it

/rɛn/

What it means

English name of the small brown songbird, from Old English wrenna. A nature-name in the same vein as Lark, Sparrow, and Robin; surged in the 2010s as one of the more elegant single-syllable picks.

Wren is the English name of the small, energetic brown songbird, from Old English wrenna. The wren has long folk associations in British and Irish culture — the 'Wren Boys' tradition on Saint Stephen's Day (December 26) involved hunting the wren in symbolic ritual. Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, gave the surname its English anchor. As a first name Wren is recent: rare before 2010, then climbing fast as part of the modern minimalist nature-name wave (Sage, Rae, Wren, Lark). It's predominantly feminine in US records but appears for both. Single syllable; no shorter form.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Christopher Wren (the architect) is the historical surname anchor; the modern first-name usage is mostly about the bird itself.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Sir Christopher Wren English architect of St. Paul's Cathedral (Wren as surname)

Spelling variants

• Wrenn
• Renn

Names with the same feeling

• Sage Wise one, the herb
• Iris Rainbow
• Ivy Ivy plant
• Rose Rose flower

See Wren from another angle