René (born again or reborn in French) is a common first name in both French-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.
René is the masculine form of the name (Renée 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 boys and also to girls. In addition, both forms are used as surnames (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 been continuously in decline and it ranked 772nd in 2013. Renée as a first name given to girls in the United States reached its peak in popularity in 1967 when it ranked 62nd. Since then its popularity has been continuously declining.
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