Eugene
Boy nameEugene has been given to 383,340 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1927 and currently ranks #943 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈjuː.d͡ʒin/
Borrowed from French Eugène, from Latin Eugenius, from Ancient Greek Εὐγένιος (Eugénios, “well born”), from εὖ (eû, “good, well”) +‎ -γενής (-genḗs, “born a certain way”). Parallel to eugenics. Doublet of Yevgeny, Eugenius, and Owen.
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
383,340
Peak year
1927 (9,827 babies)
Rank in 2025
#943 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -9%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Eugene
Eugene O'Neill
American playwright (1888–1953)
Gene Hackman
American actor and novelist (1930–2025)
Gene Kelly
American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer (1912–1996)
Gore Vidal
American writer (1925–2012)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Eugene.
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.