The name René is of French origin and means "reborn" or "again-born". It is derived from the Latin word renatus, which is a past participle of the verb regnari, meaning "to be reborn". The name has been used in France since the Middle Ages and was popular among the nobility. Some notable figures with the name René include René Descartes, the famous French philosopher and mathematician, and René Magritte, the Belgian surrealist painter. Today, René is still a popular name in France and other Francophone countries, but it is also used around the world as a unisex name.
The name Rene experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the course of its recorded history. Initially, it maintained a steady presence with single-digit occurrences between 1885 and 1946. However, from 1947 onwards, there was a marked increase, reaching triple digits by 1950 and peaking at 909 births in 1960. This trend continued until 1969, after which it began to decline steadily, dropping below 200 by 1973 and continuing to decrease until the early 2000s. Since then, it has maintained a consistent but low level of popularity, with fewer than 30 births per year on average.