boys' name ★ peaked 1927

Eugene

Meaning well born Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #943 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from French Eugène, from Latin Eugenius, from Ancient Greek Εὐγένιος (Eugénios, “well born”), from εὖ (eû, “good, well”) +‎ -γενής (-genḗs, “born a certain…

Rank 2025
#943
among boys · ↓68 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
249
named Eugene · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,860
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1927
9,827 babies
All-time total
383,340
#91 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Eugene popularity over time

383,340 babies have been named Eugene since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 31 3,430 3,461 346 – #49
1890s 62 4,303 4,365 437 +26% #45
1900s 93 5,909 6,002 600 +38% #39
1910s 274 35,161 35,435 3,544 +490% #33
1920s 635 84,755 85,390 8,539 +141% #20
1930s 473 70,938 71,411 7,141 -16% #21
1940s 260 57,275 57,535 5,754 -19% #38
1950s 198 48,281 48,479 4,848 -16% #58
1960s 189 29,311 29,500 2,950 -39% #109
1970s 170 16,534 16,704 1,670 -43% #144
1980s 124 10,560 10,684 1,068 -36% #191
1990s 44 6,088 6,132 613 -43% #312
2000s 54 3,743 3,797 380 -38% #504
2010s 25 2,845 2,870 287 -24% #735
2020s (to 2025) – 1,575 1,575 263 -9% #840

Where Eugene is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 249 0.15 outside top 500
2027 248 0.15 outside top 500
2028 248 0.15 outside top 500
2029 248 0.14 outside top 500
2030 247 0.14 outside top 500

Where Eugene is most popular

Boys named Eugene per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.151 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Idaho.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Eugene born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 48 0.391 +159%
Wisconsin 41 0.346 +129%
Idaho 14 0.342 +127%
Oregon 18 0.237 +57%
Washington 38 0.232 +54%
Michigan 47 0.229 +52%
Illinois 54 0.211 +40%
Pennsylvania 52 0.196 +30%
Kansas 13 0.190 +26%
California 162 0.177 +17%
Virginia 33 0.174 +15%
Ohio 44 0.166 +10%
Colorado 21 0.163 +8%
New York 67 0.155 ≈ national
Utah 14 0.147 ≈ national
Iowa 10 0.145 ≈ national
Massachusetts 19 0.138 -8%
Arizona 22 0.134 -11%
Georgia 33 0.130 -14%
Florida 59 0.125 -17%
Oklahoma 11 0.124 -18%
Maryland 14 0.117 -22%
Texas 97 0.110 -27%
Missouri 15 0.108 -28%
South Carolina 11 0.106 -29%
Indiana 13 0.081 -46%
Louisiana 8 0.078 -48%
North Carolina 16 0.063 -58%
Tennessee 11 0.061 -60%
Alabama 5 0.046 -70%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -80%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Eugene

Eugene is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #943 in 2025 with 249 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 383,340 American babies have been named Eugene. Its peak came in 1927, when 9,827 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Eugene stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Eugene?

The median living Eugene is about 67 years old; half are between 53 and 77. An estimated 141 thousand people named Eugene are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Eugene year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 249 #943
2024 – – 276 #875
2023 – – 251 #919
2022 – – 248 #930
2021 – – 279 #850
2020 – – 272 #840
2019 5 #16,305 296 #786
2018 – – 254 #864
2017 – – 274 #822
2016 5 #17,073 300 #790
2015 – – 274 #826
2014 – – 291 #791
2013 – – 291 #770
2012 – – 315 #735
2011 5 #17,629 263 #825
2010 10 #10,674 287 #776
2009 – – 312 #743
2008 – – 341 #696
2007 7 #14,386 351 #677
2006 – – 352 #654
2005 6 #15,090 340 #640
2004 9 #10,974 383 #583
2003 10 #9,903 383 #576
2002 6 #14,155 405 #548
2001 8 #11,348 422 #525
2000 8 #11,058 454 #504
1995 – – 529 #430
1990 5 #13,654 810 #312
1985 10 #6,605 996 #232
1980 13 #5,322 1,287 #191
1975 21 #3,311 1,518 #160
1970 14 #4,105 2,264 #146
1965 20 #2,768 2,714 #120
1960 17 #3,022 3,761 #109
1955 25 #2,177 4,791 #81
1950 17 #2,471 5,481 #58
1945 22 #1,809 5,167 #50
1940 31 #1,359 5,804 #38
1935 34 #1,229 6,859 #26
1930 85 #763 9,029 #21
1925 55 #1,012 8,517 #24
1920 49 #1,063 6,867 #30
1915 25 #1,454 4,321 #41
1910 12 #1,363 888 #39
1905 8 #1,464 593 #42
1900 9 #1,353 587 #45
1895 10 #1,077 430 #50
1890 – – 408 #46
1885 – – 345 #51
1880 – – 328 #53

Famous people named Eugene

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Eugene Levy Eugene Levy Canadian actor and comedian (born 1946) Contemporary
  2. 2 Eugene O'Neill Eugene O'Neill American playwright (1888–1953) 19th century
  3. 3 Eugene V. Debs Eugene V. Debs American labor and political leader (1855–1926) 19th century
  4. 4 Eugene McCarthy Eugene McCarthy American politician (1916–2005) Contemporary
  5. 5 Eugene Mirman Eugene Mirman American actor and comedian (born 1974) Contemporary
  6. 6 Eugene Stoner Eugene Stoner American firearms designer (1922–1997) Contemporary
  7. 7 Eugene Eugene South Korean actress (born 1981) Contemporary
  8. 8 Eugene Wigner Eugene Wigner Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician (1902–1995) Contemporary
  9. 9 Eugene Roshal Russian software engineer (born 1972) Contemporary
  10. 10 Eugene Pallette Eugene Pallette American actor (1889–1954) 19th century
  11. 11 Eugene Merle Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker American geologist and astronomer (1928–1997) Contemporary
  12. 12 Eugene Fama Eugene Fama American economist (born 1939) Contemporary
  13. 13 Eugene Simon Eugene Simon English actor b. 1992 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Eugene Botkin Eugene Botkin Court physician for Tsar Nicholas II 1865–1918 · 19th century
  15. 15 Eugene Kaspersky Eugene Kaspersky Russian cybersecurity expert (born 1965) Contemporary
  16. 16 Eugene Parker Eugene Parker American solar physicist (1927–2022) Contemporary
  17. 17 Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy Hungarian-American conductor and violinist (1899–1985) 19th century
  18. 18 Eugene Burton Ely Eugene Burton Ely American aviation pioneer (1886–1911) 19th century
  19. 19 Eugene de Blaas Eugene de Blaas Italian painter (1843–1931) 19th century
  20. 20 Eugene Nida Eugene Nida American linguist (1914–2011) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Eugene, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Eugene?

The median living Eugene is about 67 years old. Half of all living Eugenes are between 53 and 77 years old.

How many people named Eugene are alive today?

An estimated 141 thousand people named Eugene are alive in the United States, based on 383,340 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Eugene mean?

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”).

How popular is the name Eugene in 2025?

Eugene ranked #943 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 249 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Eugene?

383,340 babies have been named Eugene in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Eugene most popular?

Eugene peaked in 1927, when 9,827 newborns received the name.

Is Eugene a boy or girl name?

Eugene is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Eugene rising or falling?

Eugene has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Eugene become more popular?

Eugene looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 247 boys named Eugene in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Eugene?

Well-known people named Eugene include Eugene Levy (actor), Eugene O'Neill (writer), Eugene V. Debs (social activist).

Names like Eugene

Names that sound and feel close to Eugene: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Eugene with similar names → More names starting with E →