Unisex name ★ peaked 1928

Gene

Meaning A unisex given name Gender Unisex · 5% girls Rank 2025 #2,238 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name. A diminutive of the male given name Eugene, also used as a formal male given name.

Rank 2025
#2,238
among boys · ↓330 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
63
named Gene · -28% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,112
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1928
3,311 babies
All-time total
133,874
#265 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Gene popularity over time

133,874 babies have been named Gene 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 40 129 169 17 – #383
1890s 140 219 359 36 +112% #350
1900s 261 554 815 82 +127% #238
1910s 1,060 3,870 4,930 493 +505% #191
1920s 2,357 17,579 19,936 1,994 +304% #62
1930s 938 29,313 30,251 3,025 +52% #61
1940s 1,011 27,739 28,750 2,875 -5% #70
1950s 566 19,694 20,260 2,026 -30% #122
1960s 235 13,701 13,936 1,394 -31% #174
1970s 171 6,233 6,404 640 -54% #250
1980s 105 3,621 3,726 373 -42% #380
1990s 61 2,058 2,119 212 -43% #580
2000s 21 999 1,020 102 -52% #1,103
2010s 26 695 721 72 -29% #1,752
2020s (to 2025) 5 473 478 80 +10% #1,660

Where Gene 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 63 0.04 outside top 500
2027 63 0.04 outside top 500
2028 63 0.04 outside top 500
2029 63 0.04 outside top 500
2030 63 0.04 outside top 500

Where Gene is most popular

Boys named Gene per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.044 per 1,000. Strongest in Illinois, Texas, and California.

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 Gene 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
Illinois 15 0.059 +34%
Texas 40 0.045 ≈ national
California 39 0.043 ≈ national
Wisconsin 5 0.042 ≈ national
Colorado 5 0.039 -11%
Florida 15 0.032 -27%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -55%
Ohio 5 0.019 -57%
New York 5 0.012 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Gene

Gene is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,238 in 2025 with 63 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 133,874 American babies have been named Gene, about 95% boys and 5% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1928, when 3,311 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 Gene stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gene?

The median living Gene is about 69 years old; half are between 57 and 79. An estimated 60 thousand people named Gene are alive in the United States today.

median 69 020406080100

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

Gene 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 – – 63 #2,238
2024 5 #16,107 83 #1,908
2023 – – 76 #2,007
2022 – – 74 #2,046
2021 – – 81 #1,892
2020 – – 96 #1,660
2019 6 #14,389 80 #1,874
2018 7 #12,933 64 #2,177
2017 – – 88 #1,752
2016 – – 79 #1,882
2015 8 #12,221 67 #2,093
2014 – – 53 #2,410
2013 – – 67 #2,029
2012 – – 71 #1,994
2011 5 #17,690 61 #2,156
2010 – – 65 #2,074
2009 – – 81 #1,832
2008 – – 79 #1,846
2007 – – 85 #1,749
2006 – – 95 #1,554
2005 6 #15,131 93 #1,529
2004 5 #16,991 109 #1,345
2003 5 #16,607 106 #1,311
2002 – – 99 #1,336
2001 5 #16,184 129 #1,103
2000 – – 123 #1,132
1995 9 #9,015 174 #811
1990 10 #8,078 267 #617
1985 7 #8,638 344 #464
1980 12 #5,638 451 #380
1975 17 #3,824 556 #322
1970 26 #2,728 934 #250
1965 21 #2,696 1,307 #193
1960 34 #1,956 1,796 #174
1955 59 #1,313 1,892 #152
1950 79 #1,027 2,250 #122
1945 106 #722 2,373 #100
1940 59 #938 3,060 #70
1935 69 #825 2,937 #66
1930 168 #521 2,787 #70
1925 374 #352 1,579 #112
1920 204 #477 810 #173
1915 140 #533 493 #212
1910 32 #758 91 #253
1905 24 #749 44 #303
1900 26 #710 48 #302
1895 14 #875 28 #350
1890 11 #845 17 #445
1885 5 #1,104 20 #404
1880 – – 7 #771

Famous people named Gene

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

  1. 1 Gene Simmons Gene Simmons Israeli-American musician and songwriter (born 1949) Contemporary
  2. 2 Gene Hackman Gene Hackman American actor (1930–2025) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gene Wilder Gene Wilder American actor (1933–2016) Contemporary
  4. 4 Gene Kelly Gene Kelly American actor, dancer, singer and director (1912–1996) Contemporary
  5. 5 Gene Tierney Gene Tierney American actress (1920–1991) Contemporary
  6. 6 Gene Roddenberry Gene Roddenberry American screenwriter and producer (1921–1991) Contemporary
  7. 7 Gene Autry Gene Autry American actor (1907–1998) Contemporary
  8. 8 Gene Cernan Gene Cernan American astronaut and lunar explorer (1934–2017) Contemporary
  9. 9 Gene Pitney Gene Pitney American singer and songwriter (1940–2006) Contemporary
  10. 10 Gene Siskel Gene Siskel American film critic (1946–1999) Contemporary
  11. 11 Gene Kranz Gene Kranz American flight director for NASA (born 1933) Contemporary
  12. 12 Gene Barry Gene Barry American actor (1919–2009) Contemporary
  13. 13 Gene Lockhart Gene Lockhart Canadian-American actor (1891–1957) 19th century
  14. 14 Gene Okerlund Gene Okerlund American wrestling interviewer and announcer (1942–2019) Contemporary
  15. 15 Gene Wolfe Gene Wolfe American science fiction and fantasy writer (1931–2019) Contemporary
  16. 16 Gene Vincent Gene Vincent American rock musician (1935–1971) Contemporary
  17. 17 Gene Haas Gene Haas American businessman (born 1952) Contemporary
  18. 18 Gene Hoglan Gene Hoglan American drummer (born 1967) Contemporary
  19. 19 Gene Saks Gene Saks American film director 1921–2015 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Gene Tunney Gene Tunney American professional boxer (1897-1978) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gene?

The median living Gene is about 69 years old. Half of all living Genes are between 57 and 79 years old.

How many people named Gene are alive today?

An estimated 60 thousand people named Gene are alive in the United States, based on 133,874 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gene mean?

A unisex given name. A diminutive of the male given name Eugene, also used as a formal male given name.

How popular is the name Gene in 2025?

Gene ranked #2,238 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 63 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gene?

133,874 babies have been named Gene in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gene most popular?

Gene peaked in 1928, when 3,311 newborns received the name.

Is Gene a boy or girl name?

Gene is used for both: about 5% of babies named Gene have been girls and 95% boys.

Is the name Gene rising or falling?

Gene is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Gene become more popular?

Gene looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 63 boys named Gene in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Gene?

Well-known people named Gene include Gene Simmons (musician), Gene Hackman (actor), Gene Wilder (actor).

Names like Gene

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

Compare Gene with similar names → More names starting with G →