Gene
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "well-born" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 62,564 living Americans carry the first name Gene. It is a predominantly male name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Gene today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gene births was 1928 (3,311 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gene with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gene is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Genes were born before 1968.
- • Compared to the 1930s, recent registration numbers for Gene have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
63K
~ 1 in 5,478 Americans
Peak year
1928
3,311 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,905
Tracked since 1880
Census
Gene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 64,464 people with the first name Gene, which placed it at #771 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#771
National first-name rank
People counted
64K
64,464 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
21.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
80.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gene is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 51,699
- Black or African American8.3% · 5,337
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 2,664
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 2,520
- Two or more races2.5% · 1,615
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 629
Gender
Gender distribution for Gene
Gene leans heavily male at 94.8% of total registrations, but 6,997 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gene as a male name
- Ranked #1,905 in 2024
- 83 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1937 (3,165 births)
Gene as a female name
- Ranked #16,048 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1925 (374 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gene leans strongly male. 61,917 people counted with this name were male (96.0%), compared with 2,557 female bearers (4.0%).
Popularity
Gene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gene from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 30,250 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Genes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Gene, while Alaska, Rhode Island, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 2,461 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gene
The given name Gene is derived from the Greek word "genos," which means "race" or "family." This name has its roots in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the classical period.
In ancient Greek mythology, the word "genos" was often used to refer to the lineage or descent of gods and heroes. It held significant meaning in the context of genealogy and ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gene can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BC to 348 BC. He used the term "genos" frequently in his writings, particularly in discussions about the nature of humanity and the idea of the "ideal society."
During the Byzantine era, the name Gene began to gain popularity as a personal name, particularly among the ruling classes and nobility. It was seen as a name that conveyed a sense of nobility and connection to one's ancestral roots.
One notable historical figure with the name Gene was Gennadius I, who served as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 458 to 471 AD. He played a significant role in the development of the Eastern Orthodox Church and its theological doctrines.
In the Middle Ages, the name Gene continued to be used across various European regions, particularly in areas influenced by Greek culture and the Eastern Orthodox tradition. During this time, it was often associated with scholars and intellectuals who studied ancient Greek texts and philosophy.
One famous bearer of the name Gene was Genesius of Rome, a legendary Christian saint who lived in the 3rd century AD. According to tradition, he was a comedian who mocked Christianity on stage but later converted and was martyred for his newfound faith.
In the Renaissance period, the name Gene experienced a resurgence in popularity, especially among the humanist scholars who revived the study of classical Greek and Roman literature. One notable figure from this era was Genesius of Constantinople (1210-1279), a renowned scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
As the name Gene spread across Europe, it also found its way into other cultures and languages. In French, for example, it took the form of "Gène," while in Italian, it became "Geno."
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the name Gene, including Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924), an American novelist and naturalist known for her works such as "Freckles" and "A Girl of the Limberlost"; Gene Kelly (1912-1996), the legendary American actor, dancer, and choreographer; and Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991), the creator of the iconic science fiction series "Star Trek."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gene
People
Gene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62,564 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,478 US residents.
Is Gene a common name?
We classify Gene as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 133,809 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gene most popular?
The single biggest year for Gene was 1928, when 3,311 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gene is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 64,464 people with the name Gene, or 21.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #771 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gene leans strongly male. 61,917 people counted with this name were male (96.0%), compared with 2,557 female bearers (4.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gene is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (51,699 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gene a male name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Gene in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Gene?
You can see how many people have the name Gene on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.