Genetta
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "from Genoa, Italy".
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Genetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Genetta today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Genetta births was 1958 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Genetta. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Genetta is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Genettas were born before 1970.
People living today
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
1958
17 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1988 SSA rank
#10,803
Tracked since 1913
Census
Genetta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 327 people with the first name Genetta, which placed it at #27,781 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
#27,781
National first-name rank
People counted
327
327 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Genetta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Genetta is Black at 54.7%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Genetta 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 Genetta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.7% · 179
- White38.8% · 127
- Two or more races4.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Genetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Genetta from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 102 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Genetta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Genetta 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 Genetta 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 Genetta
The name Genetta has its origins in the Latin language and is derived from the word "genetta," which refers to a small cat-like animal known as the genet. The genet is a carnivorous mammal found in Africa and parts of southern Europe, known for its distinctive markings and agility.
In ancient Roman times, the genet was a revered and symbolic animal, often associated with grace, stealth, and beauty. The name Genetta may have been given to individuals who were thought to possess these qualities or were admired for their feline-like characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Genetta can be found in the writings of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who lived in the 1st century AD. In his work "Naturalis Historia," he provided detailed descriptions of various animals, including the genet, which he referred to as "genetta."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Genetta. One of the earliest was Genetta of Arles, a 6th-century French saint and abbess who founded the Convent of Notre-Dame in Arles, France. She is celebrated for her piety and dedication to religious life.
In the 12th century, there was Genetta of Semur, a French noblewoman and benefactress who played a significant role in the founding of the Cistercian abbey of Fontenay in Burgundy, France.
During the Renaissance period, Genetta Tinucci (1451-1510) was an Italian painter and miniaturist from Siena, renowned for her intricate and delicate works, which often depicted religious scenes and portraits of aristocratic patrons.
In the field of literature, Genetta Litton Muir (1824-1905) was a Scottish author and poet who wrote under the pen name "Violet Fane." She was known for her novels and collections of poetry, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
More recently, Genetta Lorraine Keating (1931-2015) was an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and television shows throughout her career, including roles in "Annie Get Your Gun" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
While the name Genetta may not be as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with grace, beauty, and stealth have contributed to its enduring appeal as a unique and intriguing given name.
People
Genetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Genetta 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
Genetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Genetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Genetta 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Genetta a common name?
We classify Genetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 568 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Genetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Genetta was 1958, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Genetta is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Genetta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 327 people with the name Genetta, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,781 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 Genetta 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 Genetta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Genetta appears almost entirely female. Of the 330 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Genetta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Genetta is Black at 54.7%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Genetta most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Genetta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.7% (179 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 Genetta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Genetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Genetta 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 Genetta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Genetta 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 Genetta 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 share the name Genetta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.