René (''

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common

first name First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared an ...

in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name

Renatus Renatus is a first name of Latin origin which means "born again" ("natus" = "born"). The name has a spiritual meaning, i.e., to be born again with baptism, i.e., from water and the Holy Spirit. It was extensively adopted by early Christians in ...

. René is the masculine form of the name (

Renée Renée (without the accent in non-French speaking countries) is a French feminine given name and surname. Renée is the female form of René, with the extra "e" making it feminine according to French grammar. The name Renée is the French for ...

being the feminine form). In some non-Francophone countries, however, there exists the habit of giving the name René (sometimes spelled without an accent) to girls as well as boys. In addition, both forms are used as

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

s (family names). René as a first name given to boys in the United States reached its peaks in popularity in 1969 and 1983 when it ranked 256th. Since 1983 its popularity has steadily declined and it ranked 881st in 2016. René as a first name given to girls in the United States reached its peak in popularity in 1962 when it ranked 306th. The last year for which René was ranked in the top 1000 names given to girls in the United States was 1988.

Persons with the given name

* René, Duke of Anjou (1409–1480), titular king of Naples and Jerusalem *

René II, Duke of Lorraine René II (2 May 1451 – 10 December 1508) was Count of Vaudémont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria ...

(1451–1508), grandson of René of Anjou * René I, Viscount of Rohan (1516–1552), warrior of the Italian War of 1551–1559 * René II, Viscount of Rohan (1550–1586), his huguenot son *

René Angélil René Angélil (; – ) was a Canadian musical producer, talent manager and singer. He was the husband and manager of singer Celine Dion. Early life Angélil was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father of Syrian descent and a mother of ...

(1942–2016), Canadian music producer and agent * Rene Aranda (born 1990), American actress *

René Arend René Arend (1928–2016) was a Luxembourgish American chef who served as the first executive chef for McDonald's. He is best known for creating several of McDonald's popular menu items, including Chicken McNuggets and the McRib sandwich. Early ...

(1928–2016), Luxembourgish American chef, McDonald's first executive chef *

René Auberjonois René Marie Murat Auberjonois ( ; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and voice actor, known for playing Odo on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999) and Clayton Endicott III on '' Benson'' (1980–1986). He firs ...

(1940–2019), American actor * René Ballet (1928–2017), French journalist, novelist and essayist *

René Barents René Barents (born 31 December 1951) is a Dutch European Union law scholar. He has been a judge at the General Court since 6 october 2011. He previously served as a judge on the European Union Civil Service Tribunal from 2011 until 2016 Barent ...

(born 1951), Dutch judge and legal scholar *

René Bernards René Bernards (born 4 January 1953) is a Dutch cancer researcher. He is professor of molecular carcinogenesis at Utrecht University and head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the Netherlands Cancer Institute- Antoni van Leeuwenhoekz ...

(born 1953), Dutch oncologist * René Bernatchez (1913–1980), Canadian politician * René Binder (born 1992), Austrian racing driver * Cardinal

René de Birague René de Birague (Italian: Renato da Birago; –24 November 1583) was an Italian then French noble, lieutenant-general, chancellor and cardinal during the latter Italian Wars and the French Wars of Religion. Born to a prominent Milanese family in ...

(1505–1583) *

Rene Bitorajac Rene Bitorajac (; born 2 March 1972) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in several Croatian and Bosnian films since the 1980s. Most notably, he starred in the 2001 Academy Award-winning Bosnian film '' No Man's Land''. He is also known for starr ...

(born 1972), Croatian actor *

René Bricard René Bricard was a Frenchman who was active in the French Resistance during World War II. He was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), ...

(died 2015), French resistance fighter *

Rene Capo Rene Capo (May 9, 1961 – July 6, 2009) was a judoka from the United States who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics. Capo immigrated to the United States from Cuba as a young boy. Though he won several judo ch ...

(1961–2009), Cuban-American judoka *

René Carol Gerhard Tschierschnitz, known as René Carol (Berlin, 11 April 1920 - Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the c ...

(1920–1978), German singer *

René Chamussy René Chamussy (15 December 1936 – 27 October 2016) was a French-Lebanese Jesuit priest and academic administrator. He was the author of several books about Lebanon. He served as the rector of the Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, fr ...

(1936–2016), French-Lebanese Jesuit priest and academic administrator *

René Coty Gustave Jules René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...

(1882–1962), former president of France *

René Deltgen Renatus Heinrich Deltgen (30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – 29 January 1979 in Cologne, West Germany) was a Luxembourgish stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who port ...

(1909–1979), Luxembourgish actor *

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

(1596–1650), French philosopher, scientist and mathematician * Rene Farrait (born 1967), Puerto Rican singer, member of boy band Menudo *

René Favaloro René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine Cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac surgeon and Teacher, educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein. Ear ...

(1923–2000), Argentine cardiac surgeon *

René Fonck Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Triple Entente, Entente fighter Flying ace, ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centurie ...

(1894–1953), French aviator and most successful pilot in World War I * René Frégni (born 1947), French novelist * René Froger (born 1960), Dutch Singer * René de Froulay de Tessé (1648–1725), French marshal * Rene Gagnon (1925–1979), American World War II veteran, raised the American flag during the battle of Iwo Jima *

René Girard René Noël Théophile Girard (; ; 25 December 1923 – 4 November 2015) was a French-American historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science whose work belongs to the tradition of philosophical anthropology. Girard was the a ...

(1923-2015), French historian, literary critic, and philosopher *

René Goscinny René Goscinny (; ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Asterix, Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Born in France to a Jewish family from Poland, he spent his chil ...

(1926–1977), French comic book editor and writer *

René Goupil René Goupil, (15 May 1608 – 29 September 1642), was a French Jesuit lay missionary (, "given" or "one who offers himself") who became a lay brother of the Society of Jesus shortly before his death. He was the first of the eight North Ame ...

(1608–1642), Canadian Catholic martyr and saint *

René Guénon René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (15 November 1886 – 7 January 1951), also known as Abdalwahid Yahia (; ), was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from esoterici ...

(1886–1951), French metaphysician and Sufi initiate * René Henry Gracida (born 1923), American Catholic prelate * René Janssen (born 1959), Dutch nanotechnologist * Rene Kirby, American actor *

René Kollo René Kollo (born 20 November 1937) is a German operatic tenor, especially known for his Wagnerian Heldentenor roles. He also performed a wide variety of operas and operettas, and made several recordings. Biography Born René Kollodzieyski in ...

, German tenor *

René Lacoste Jean René Lacoste (; 2 July 1904 – 12 October 1996) was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents; he is also known worldwide as the creator of the Lacoste tennis s ...

(1904-1997), French tennis player and businessman * René Lamps (1915–2007), French politician * René Lépine, Canadian businessman and real estate developer *

René Lévesque René Lévesque ( ; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to seek, ...

, Canadian journalist and politician, premier of Quebec *

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...

, Belgian surrealist painter *

René Marqués René Marqués (October 4, 1919 – March 22, 1979) was a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright. Early years Marqués was born, raised and educated in the city of Arecibo. He developed an interest in writing at a ...

, Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright * René Mauriès (1921–1999), French journalist, reporter and writer * Rene Mederos, Cuban poster artist and graphic designer * Rene Medvešek, Croatian actor * René Mornex (1927–2022), French doctor and academic *

René Muñoz René Muñoz (February 19, 1938 – May 11, 2000) was a Cuban actor and screenwriter of telenovelas and the cinema of Mexico. He is most remembered for his role in the Spanish film ''Fray Escoba''. Biography He was born in Havana, Cuba but ...

(1938–2000), Cuban actor and scriptwriter *

René Obermann René Obermann (born 5 March 1963) is a German businessman who is chairman of Warburg Pincus International LLC's European operations, and chairman of Airbus SE since April 2020. He was previously (from November 2006 to December 2013) CEO of Deuts ...

(born 1963), German businessman * René Pape, German opera singer *

Rene Plasencia Rene "Coach P" Plasencia (born January 8, 1973) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 50th District (including southeast Orange Cou ...

, (born 1973) Florida House of Representatives member * René Juan Pérez Joglar (born 1978), known professionally as Residente, is a Puerto Rican rapper, writer and filmmaker * Rene Ranger (born 1986), New Zealand rugby player *

René Rast René Rast (; born 26 October 1986) is a Germans, German professional racing driver and the 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, 2017, 2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, 2019 and 2020 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, 2020 DTM champion. He last compete ...

(born 1986), German racing driver * René Reyes, American baseball player *

René Robert René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and ...

(1948–2021), Canadian ice hockey player * René Prêtre (born 1957), Swiss pediatric cardiovascular surgeon * René Reille (1835–1898), French soldier, industrialist, politician *

René Rougeau René Anthony Rougeau (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Helsinki Seagulls of the Korisliiga. He played college basketball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he starred in his four seasons with the U ...

(born 1986), American basketball player for

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Basketball, Weightl ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

René Rozet Auguste René Rozet (1858–1939) was a French sculptor and medalist. He produced portrait medallions, portrait busts, tympanum, and statuettes. A common subject of his work was children. Biography He was born on 14 May 1858 in Paris. Rozet s ...

(1858–1939), French sculptor *

Rene Russo Rene Marie Russo (born February 17, 1954) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as '' Vogue'' and ''Cosmopolitan''. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy '' ...

(born 1954), American actress * René Simard, Canadian singer * René Sporleder (born 1969), German judoka * René Steinke, German actor *

René Thom René Frédéric Thom (; 2 September 1923 – 25 October 2002) was a French mathematician, who received the Fields Medal in 1958. He made his reputation as a topologist, moving on to aspects of what would be called singularity theory; he became ...

(1923–2002), French mathematician * René Toribio (1912–1990), Guadeloupean politician * René Vydarený (born 1981), Slovakian ice hockey player * René Villa, Costa Rican singer *

René Weller René Weller (21 November 1953 – 22 August 2023) was a German boxer. He competed for West Germany in the men's featherweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics, defeating Serge Thomas of France before losing to Gheorghe Ciochina of Romania. ...

(1953–2023), German boxer The name was also given to the French cafe owner and war hero René Artois in popular British TV series ''

'Allo 'Allo! ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a Frenc ...

Persons with this surname

* Denise René (1919–2012), French art dealer *

France-Albert René France-Albert René (; 16 November 1935 – 27 February 2019) was a Seychellois lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004. He also served as the country's second Prime Minister from its ...

(1935–2019), second President of Seychelles * Lisa Rene (1978–1994), American murder victim * Mélanie René (born 1990), Swiss singer * Wendy Rene (1947–2014), American soul singer and songwriter

Variants in different languages

*Renát Hungarian, Slovak *Renat Catalan, Polish *Renato

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Portuguese,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

*Renátus Slovak *Renatus

*Rene Finnish *René

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

, French,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Slovak,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, Danish *Röné Hungarian *Ренат

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rene French masculine given names Masculine given names