New Baby Name

Gene

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Boy · Greek

Gene

Say it: JEEN

Try it with your surname

Meaning

A short form of Eugene, from Greek eugenes 'well-born' (eu 'well' + genes 'born').

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Noble

Given independently in the US from the early 20th century, most popular in the 1930s.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1930s

In the United States

012318801900192019401960198020002020Girls 1925Boys 1937per 1,000 babies of that sex
  • 133,478 babies given this name since 1880
  • At its height in 1937, about 1 in 337 boys
  • 95 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

American

Famous bearers

  • Gene Kelly, American dancer and actor
  • Gene Autry, American singing cowboy

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.