UK boy's name
Imre
A masculine Hungarian name derived from the Old German name Emerich.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Imre is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Imre popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 5 births.
This profile covers 11 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2014 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 11 living people in the UK are called Imre. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Imre ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 5 boys were registered as Imre.
- • About 11 living people in the UK are estimated to have Imre as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2018
5 births
Estimated living
11
2026
Meaning
What does Imre mean?
The name Imre originated from the Hungarian language, derived from the Germanic name Emmerich or Emeric, which in turn came from the ancient German name Amalrich. The name Amalrich is a combination of the Germanic words "amal" meaning "work" or "labor," and "ric" meaning "power" or "rule." This suggests that the name Imre may have initially carried connotations of someone who worked with authority or ruled through their efforts.
The earliest recorded use of the name Imre dates back to the 11th century in Hungary, where it was borne by Saint Emeric (also known as Imre), the son of King Stephen I of Hungary. Saint Emeric lived from around 1007 to 1031 and was known for his piety, education, and charity. His name became popular in Hungary and other Central European regions influenced by Hungarian culture.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Imre was Imre Nagy, a Hungarian communist politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Imre Nagy was born in 1896 and executed in 1958 after being condemned for his role in the uprising against Soviet occupation.
Another prominent individual bearing the name was Imre Kertész, a Hungarian author and Holocaust survivor who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2002. Imre Kertész was born in 1929 and passed away in 2016, and his works explored themes of totalitarianism, personal identity, and the human experience during the Holocaust.
In the realm of science, Imre Lakatos was a Hungarian philosopher of mathematics and science, known for his contributions to the philosophy of science and his theory of research programmes. He lived from 1922 to 1974 and is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the field of scientific methodology.
Another notable figure was Imre Madách, a Hungarian dramatist and poet best known for his play "The Tragedy of Man," which explored philosophical themes of human existence and the meaning of life. Imre Madách lived from 1823 to 1864 and is regarded as one of the greatest Hungarian writers.
These are just a few examples of prominent individuals throughout history who bore the name Imre, a name with roots in ancient Germanic and Hungarian cultures, and a rich history spanning centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Imre over time
The chart below shows babies named Imre registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2014 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Imre, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Imre by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Imre was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4991 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4022 | 8 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Imre
- Isaac 49,129
- Ibrahim 14,115
- Ismail 4,679
- Isaiah 4,629
- Idris 3,810
- Ivan 3,146
- Isa 2,943
- Ian 2,805
- Ilyas 2,552
- Ieuan 2,515
- Ibraheem 2,384
- Ioan 2,295
FAQ
Imre: questions and answers
How popular is the name Imre in the UK right now?
In 2023, Imre was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Imre most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 5 babies registered as Imre in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Imre?
A masculine Hungarian name derived from the Old German name Emerich.
How many people are called Imre in the UK?
A total of 11 babies have been registered as Imre across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.