Geneen
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "heaven" or "garden".
Name Census estimates that about 195 living Americans carry the first name Geneen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Geneen today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Geneen births was 1966 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Geneen. 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.
People living today
195
~ 1 in 1,757,715 Americans
Peak year
1966
15 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1990 SSA rank
#13,699
Tracked since 1952
Census
Geneen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 267 people with the first name Geneen, which placed it at #31,863 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
#31,863
National first-name rank
People counted
267
267 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geneen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geneen is White at 49.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Hispanic (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 Geneen 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 Geneen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.8% · 133
- Black or African American41.2% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 11
- Two or more races3.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Geneen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Geneen from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 100 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Geneen 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 Geneen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Geneen
The name Geneen is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "jannah," which means "garden" or "paradise." The name was likely given to children as a way of wishing them a life filled with beauty, serenity, and prosperity.
In the early days of Islam, the name Geneen was relatively uncommon, but it gained popularity as the religion spread across the Middle East and North Africa. It was particularly favored among the wealthy and influential families who had access to lush gardens and luxurious lifestyles.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Geneen can be found in the writings of the famous Arab poet and scholar, Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century CE. He mentioned a woman named Geneen in one of his poems, praising her beauty and grace.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Geneen. One of the most famous was Geneen bint Al-Walid (born around 630 CE), a respected Islamic scholar and poet from Arabia. She was known for her extensive knowledge of the Quran and her contributions to the field of Islamic literature.
Another notable Geneen was Geneen al-Baghdadi (1162-1233 CE), a renowned female mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. She made significant contributions to the study of algebra and helped advance the field of astronomy during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 19th century, Geneen Sadiq (1828-1901) was a prominent Egyptian feminist and activist who fought for women's rights and education. She established one of the first schools for girls in Egypt and worked tirelessly to improve the status of women in her society.
More recently, Geneen Roth (born 1950) is an American author and speaker who has written extensively on the topics of emotional eating, body image, and self-acceptance. Her books, such as "Women, Food, and God," have been widely acclaimed and have helped countless individuals develop a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.
Geneen Maria Haugen (1918-2006) was a Norwegian-American actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career. She is best known for her roles in the classic films "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon."
While the name Geneen has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has transcended borders and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among those who appreciate its beautiful meaning and historical significance.
People
Geneen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Geneen 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
Geneen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Geneen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 195 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Geneen 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 1,757,715 US residents.
Is Geneen a common name?
We classify Geneen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 227 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Geneen most popular?
The single biggest year for Geneen was 1966, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Geneen is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Geneen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 267 people with the name Geneen, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,863 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 Geneen 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 Geneen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Geneen leans strongly female. 270 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Geneen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geneen is White at 49.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Hispanic (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 Geneen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Geneen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.8% (133 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 Geneen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Geneen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Geneen in the SSA data are female. 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 Geneen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Geneen 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 Geneen 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 have the name Geneen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.