At the beginning of the 20th century, a feminine first name of origin
Germanic reached nearly 470 annual births in France, before almost disappearing from the registers today. In 1901, there were 469 little girls named like this, compared to only 15 in 2025. Between these two dates, a whole century of back and forth between fashion, history and collective imagination. This contrast tells the singular destiny of first name Irma.
Carried by the root ermen or irm-, associated with the idea ofuniversal and totality, Irma shone in several European countries before disappearing almost completely in France. The data from theINSEErelayed by these sites, outline the typical journey of a “grandmother’s first name” which has become rare, in a landscape today dominated by short and international first names.
Meaning and origin of the first name Irma
The first name Irma comes from an ancient Germanic theme irm(in) – linked to the idea of grandeur, immensity and universality. This lexical field also refers to strength, power and war, which explains why the first name is often understood as evoking a strong, even combative, woman.
In Christian tradition, Saint Irma is honored on
July 9. Longer variants like Irmina or Ermina show that this short French first name extends a much older lineage.
From the glory of 1901 to the clear decline of Irma
With 469 births in 1901 according to statistics from theINSEEIrma is one of the prominent female first names at the turn of the century. The year 1910 would be the year in which the first name was given the most in its archives, which suggests differences in scope between the French databases and international registers.
With 10 births in 2024, 15 in 2025, Irma remains a first name
very rare in French maternity wards. Since July 2026, INSEE explains that the number of births has been rounded to the multiple of 5 in its interactive tool, which gives an idea of a trend rather than counting to the nearest baby, especially for such infrequent first names.
Madame Irma, hurricane and pop culture: the new images of Irma
In current French, Wiktionary indicates that the expression Mrs Irma designates a fortune teller or fortune teller. The character ofIrma the Sweetfrom a musical comedy then a film, reinforces this image of a free and slightly insolent woman.
Météo-France reminds that on September 6, 2017, theHurricane Irma devastated the French West Indiesin particular Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy. For today’s parents, these very strong references can be dissuasive, but they also give Irma a unique personality, between a memory of another century and a first name almost unheard of in classes.