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 feminine form). In some non-Francophone countries, however, there exists the 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. Persons with the given name 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 René Angélil (1942–2016), Canadian music producer and agent Rene Aranda (born 1990), American actress René Auberjonois (1940–2019), American actor René Ballet (1928–2017), French journalist, novelist and essayist René Barents (born 1951), Dutch judge and legal scholar René Bernards (born 1953), Dutch oncologist René Binder (born 1992), Austrian racing driver Cardinal René de Birague (1505–1583) Rene Bitorajac, Croatian actor Rene Capo, Cuban-American judoka René Chamussy (1936–2016), French-Lebanese Jesuit priest and academic administrator René Coty, former president of France René Descartes, French philosopher Rene Farrait (born 1967), Puerto Rican singer, member of boy band Menudo René Favaloro, Argentine cardiac surgeon René Fonck, French aviator and most successful pilot in World War I René Frégni (born 1947), French novelist René de Froulay de Tessé (1648–1725), French marshal Rene Gagnon, American World War II veteran, raised the American flag during the battle of Iwo Jima René Goscinny (1926–1977), French comic book editor and writer René Goupil (1608–1642), Canadian Catholic martyr and saint René Guénon (1886–1951), French metaphysician and Sufi initiate René Janssen (born 1959), Dutch nanotechnologist Rene Kirby, American actor René Kollo, German tenor René Lamps (1915–2007), French politician René Lépine, Canadian businessman and real estate developer René Lévesque,