Eugene
Eugene was the 943rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 249 babies. Its best year was 1927, when it ranked 20th with 9,742 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 117 places. More babies were named Eugene in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning well born · Greek, French
Say it yoo-JEEN /juˈdʒin/
- Rank in 2025
- #943 boys, down 103 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 249boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19279,742 babies
- Total since 1880
- 383,340babies recorded
What does the name Eugene mean?
Eugene is from Greek Eugenios 'well born, noble', from eu 'well' and genos 'race, family, birth', as DMNES and Wiktionary note; it came into English through French Eugène. It was borne by four popes and by early saints. Wiktionary notes it is a doublet of Owen, which some scholars derive from it. The English word eugenics comes from the same Greek roots but is unrelated to the name's use.
εὖ (eu) (Ancient Greek, “well”)γένος (genos) (Ancient Greek, “race, family, birth”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Eugenia, Gene, Eugenio, Evgeny.
See also: Greek names, names that mean noble.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Eugene', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Eugene', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Eugene
The usual nicknames for Eugene are Gene. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Eugene in the last five years, 29 were named Gene, against 28 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gene | Traditional | #2,238 | 377 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Eugenes go by each one.
Eugene popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,632 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #943 | 249 |
| 2020 | #840 | 272 |
| 2010 | #776 | 287 |
| 2000 | #504 | 454 |
| 1990 | #312 | 810 |
| 1980 | #191 | 1,287 |
| 1970 | #146 | 2,264 |
| 1960 | #109 | 3,761 |
| 1950 | #58 | 5,481 |
| 1940 | #38 | 5,804 |
| 1930 | #21 | 9,029 |
| 1920 | #30 | 6,867 |
| 1910 | #39 | 888 |
| 1900 | #45 | 587 |
| 1890 | #46 | 408 |
| 1880 | #53 | 328 |
How popular is Eugene, counting every spelling?
Eugene has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #911 for boys in 2025, against #943 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Eugene?
249 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Eugene (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Eugene born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 34 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Eugene.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Eugene?
About 126,600 people born in the US named Eugene are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 52 and 77. That makes Eugene a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Eugene by state
How common Eugene was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.6×), Wisconsin (2.3×), Washington (1.5×), Michigan (1.5×). In 20 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Eugene: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Eugene, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Eugene · Sibling names for Eugene
Questions about the name Eugene
What does Eugene mean?
Eugene means “well born” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Eugene?
Eugene was the 943rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 249 babies. Its best year was 1927, when it ranked 20th with 9,742 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 117 places. More babies were named Eugene in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Eugene a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Eugene in the US.
Where is Eugene most popular?
In 2021–2025, Eugene was most common in Minnesota (0.39 per 1,000 boys), followed by Wisconsin and Idaho.