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Gene

boy name
Origin
Greek
Syllables
1
Peak era
1930s/1940s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

short for Eugene, "well-born"; a shorter, quieter version of the same Yoojin-echo pattern, chosen by some Korean American men with "-jin" names as a snappier alternative to the full Eugene

The formal names behind Gene

Gene is an established short form of this name.

Eugene · Greek origin · well-born

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

Gene around the world

One shared root links 4 names across 4 languages.

Shared root: from Greek Eugenios "well-born"; Eugene itself anchors the family though the pool holds only its short form and Romance branches

The constellation

GeneEnglish · short formEugenioItalian

More branches

EugeniaGreek · feminine formEugenieFrench · feminine form

Popularity, 1890–2024

1890speak 1930s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Gene peaked in the 1930s and the 1940s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

494 people · the #13,495 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 46

1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s

Among people named Gene living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Gene

People given the name Gene in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1979. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Gene

Luke Andre George Steve Kane Boone

The Gene deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Gene truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Gene fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Keep exploring

Dual-language baby names · Short names

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