Rene is the French René, from the Latin Renatus, "born again" or "reborn", a name early Christians chose to mark their baptism. The philosopher Rene Descartes is its most famous bearer, and in the United States the name is used mainly in Hispanic families, often written with the accent. Rene ranked number 386 in 2000, drifted down over the following decades and stands at number 1092 in 2025, just outside the top 1000.