Imogen

IM-uh-jen

Celtic

"maiden"

Imogen Origin and Meaning

The name Imogen is a girl's name of Celtic origin meaning "maiden".

Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.

Though never in the American Top 1000, Imogen may be more popular in your hip neighborhood than that statistic would suggest. A contemporary classic in England and Wales, Imogen has ranked in the Top 100 ever since detailed naming records began in 1996. It's also a Nameberry favorite, consistently among the Top 100 most viewed girl names on our site.

The story goes that Imogen originated as a Shakespearean printer's misspelling of the traditional Celtic name Innogen, used by him for a character in one of his last plays, Cymbeline. The Innogen of legend, who Shakespeare’s character was based on, was the wife of Brutus of Troy, the first king of Britain. Earlier versions of her name, including Ennoguent, Innoguend, and Innoguent, were found in Brittany from the 9th-11th centuries. They are probably derived from the Gaelic word inghean, meaning "daughter" or "maiden," and possibly have a connection to the Proto-Celtic word for "white," from which the suffixes -gwyn and -gwen evolved.

Even if Shakespeare did happen upon Imogen by accident, he wasn't the first person to use the name. The Latin name Imogenis, meaning "lowest-born," existed centuries before Shakespeare, and was first recorded in the 13th century.

Imogen gained attention in recent times through its link to Grammy-winning musician Imogen Heap. Other pluses: Imogen has the wonderful namesake photographer Imogen Cunningham and also a meaning that can't be topped. Immy is the cute diminutive; in the book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes, the character Imogene's nickname was Idgie.

Imogen Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 25 on Nameberry

Imogen Popularity

• 25 Nameberry 2024
• 214 Unique 2023
• 833 Future 2028
• 59 England 2023
• 78 Scotland 2023
• 78 Australia 2023
• 81 New Zealand 2022

20 Names Similar to Imogen

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Imogen.

• Astrid
• Iris
• Clementine
• Florence
• Elodie
• Eloise
• Beatrix
• Matilda
• Freya
• Cordelia
• Maeve
• Beatrice
• Ivy
• Genevieve
• Hazel
• Ingrid
• Edith
• Eleanor
• Ophelia
• Juniper

Famous People Named Imogen

• Imogen Bailey Australian model, actress & singer
• Imogen Bankier Scottish badminton player
• Imogen Cairns English gymnast
• Imogen Cunningham American photographer
• Imogen Hassall English actress
• Imogen Jennifer Heap English singer/songwriter, formerly of Frou Frou
• Imogen Clare Holst English composer and conductor
• Imogen Anne Lloyd Webber British political commentator and author, daughter of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Imogen Lycett Green English writer, daughter of Candida Lycett Green (and sister to Lucy, Endellion, David and John)
• Imogen Gay Poots English actress
• Imogen Stubbs English actress
• Imogen Mary Thomas Miss Wales 2003 and TV personality ("Big Brother")
• Imogen Sheeran mother of singer,songwriter Ed Sheeran and jewelry designer

Imogen in Pop Culture

• Imogen main character in Shakespeare's "Cymbeline"
• Imogen imaginary friend on TV's 'The Nanny.'
• Imogen Moreno character on TV's "Degrassi"
• Imogen Dartie Cardigan character from "The Forsyte Saga"
• Imogen character in the Ascendance trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen
• Imogen Herondale character in 'The Mortal Instruments' series by Cassandra Clare
• Imogen character in the 'Pretty Little Liars' series
• Imogen Willis character on Australian soap "Neighbours"
• Imogen character in movie 'Down to You'
• Imogen Drill character on TV's "The Worst Witch"
• Imogen character in "Bad Dreams" by Anne Fine
• Imogen character in "Bumface" by Morris Gleitzman
• Imogen character in "The Rain Before It Falls" by Jonathan Coe
• Imogen Book character in "Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox" by Eoin Colfer
• Imogen Melford character in "The Time of the Ghost" by Diana Wynne Jones
• Imogen Hazard character in "Wise Children" by Angela Carter
• Imogen character in movie "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love"
• "Imogen's Puzzle " song by Psyopus
• Imogen character in Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
• Imogen Stewart character on TV's 'Waterloo Road'
• Imogen Reed character in the video game SOMA
• Imogen Heaney character in the "Heartstopper" series