René (born again or reborn in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.
René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the French feminine). However, in some non-Francophone countries there developed a habit of giving the name René (sometimes spelled without an accent) to girls as well as boys.
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 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.
Contents
Persons with the given name
Academics, philosophers and religious
René de Birague (1505–1583), cardinal of the Catholic Church
René Descartes (1596–1650), French philosopher, scientist and mathematician
René Goupil (1608–1642), Canadian Catholic martyr and saint
René Grousset (1885–1952), French historian
René Guénon (1886–1951), French metaphysician and Sufi initiate
René Thom (1923–2002), French mathematician
René Girard (1923-2015), French historian, literary critic, and philosopher
René Henry Gracida (1923–2026), American Catholic prelate
René Chamussy (1936–2016), French-Lebanese Jesuit priest and academic administrator
Artists, singers, and writers
René Rozet (1858–1939), French sculptor
Rene Cinquin (1898–1978), American cartographer and painter
René Deltgen (1909–1979), Luxembourgish actor
René Carol (1920–1978), German singer
René Mauriès (1921–1999), French journalist, reporter and writer
René Goscinny (1926–1977), French comic book editor and writer
René Ballet (1928–2017), French journalist, novelist and essayist
René Muñoz (1938–2000), Cuban actor and scriptwriter
René Auberjonois (1940–2019), American actor
René Angélil (1942–2016), Canadian music producer and agent
René Frégni (born 1947), French novelist
Rene Russo (born 1954), American actress
René Froger (born 1960), Dutch singer
René Simard (born 1961), Canadian singer
Rene Farrait (born 1967), Puerto Rican singer, member of boy band Menudo
Rene Bitorajac (born 1972), Croatian actor
René Juan Pérez Joglar (born 1978), known professionally as Residente, is a Puerto Rican rapper, writer and filmmaker
Cuisine and couture
René Bégué (1887–1987), French fashion designer
René Arend (1928–2016), Luxembourgish American chef, McDonald's first executive chef
Medieval nobility
René, Duke of Anjou (1409–1480), titular king of Naples and Jerusalem
René II, Duke of Lorraine (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
Military
René de Froulay de Tessé (1648–1725), French marshal
René Reille (1835–1898), French soldier, industrialist, politician
René Fonck (1894–1953), French aviator and most successful pilot in World War I
Rene Gagnon (1925–1979), American World War II veteran, raised the American flag during the battle of Iwo Jima
René Bricard (died 2015), French resistance fighter
Politicians
René Barthel (born 1982), German politician
René Coty (1882–1962), former president of France
René Toribio (1912–1990), Guadeloupean politician
René Bernatchez (1913–1980), Canadian politician
René Lamps (1915–2007), French politician
René Lévesque (1922–1987), Canadian journalist and politician, premier of Quebec
Rene Plasencia (born 1973), Florida House of Representatives member
Professionals and business
René Favaloro (1923–2000), Argentine cardiac surgeon
René Mornex (1927–2022), French doctor and academic
René Barents (born 1951), Dutch judge and legal scholar
René Bernards (born 1953), Dutch oncologist
René Prêtre (born 1957), Swiss pediatric cardiovascular surgeon
René Janssen (born 1959), Dutch nanotechnologist
René Obermann (born 1963), German businessman
René Lépine, Canadian businessman and real estate developer
Sports
René Lacoste (1904-1997), French tennis player and businessman
René Robert (1948–2021), Canadian ice hockey player
René Deutschmann (born 1951), French footballer
René Weller (1953–2023), German boxer
Rene Capo (1961–2009), Cuban-American judoka
René Sporleder (born 1969), German judoka
René Vydarený (born 1981), Slovak ice hockey player
Rene Ranger (born 1986), New Zealand rugby player
René Rast (born 1986), German racing driver
René Rougeau (born 1986), American basketball player for Maccabi Haifa, Israel
Renê (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer
René Binder (born 1992), Austrian racing driver
Rene Konga (born 2002), Cameroonian-Canadian American football player
Renê (footballer, born 2003), Brazilian footballer
René Reyes, American baseball player
René Léonard (1889-1965), French racing driver
Fictional characters
René Artois, the French protagonist in the British television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo played by Gordon Kaye
Persons with this surname
Denise René (1919–2012), French art dealer
France-Albert René (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, Portuguese, Spanish
Renátus Slovak
Renatus Latin
Rene Finnish
René Czech, French, German, Slovak, Spanish, Dutch, Danish
Röné Hungarian
Ренат Russian