Boy nameCurrently #870 in the USSteady
Eugene
yoo-JEEN//juːˈdʒiːn//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19276 lettersStarts with E
Meaning & origin
Well-born, noble
Eugene comes from the Greek 'eugenes', meaning well-born or noble, and was borne by several popes and the celebrated general Prince Eugene of Savoy. A popular early-20th-century name, it has an unassuming, generational warmth.
Eugene's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Eugene |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 328 |
| 1881 | 319 |
| 1882 | 341 |
| 1883 | 331 |
| 1884 | 321 |
| 1885 | 345 |
| 1886 | 367 |
| 1887 | 332 |
| 1888 | 398 |
| 1889 | 379 |
| 1890 | 408 |
| 1891 | 362 |
| 1892 | 421 |
| 1893 | 397 |
| 1894 | 430 |
| 1895 | 440 |
| 1896 | 516 |
| 1897 | 459 |
| 1898 | 483 |
| 1899 | 449 |
| 1900 | 596 |
| 1901 | 453 |
| 1902 | 529 |
| 1903 | 487 |
| 1904 | 549 |
| 1905 | 601 |
| 1906 | 642 |
| 1907 | 702 |
| 1908 | 705 |
| 1909 | 738 |
| 1910 | 900 |
| 1911 | 1,072 |
| 1912 | 2,125 |
| 1913 | 2,546 |
| 1914 | 3,239 |
| 1915 | 4,346 |
| 1916 | 4,681 |
| 1917 | 4,914 |
| 1918 | 5,672 |
| 1919 | 5,939 |
| 1920 | 6,916 |
| 1921 | 7,774 |
| 1922 | 7,894 |
| 1923 | 8,005 |
| 1924 | 8,414 |
| 1925 | 8,572 |
| 1926 | 9,091 |
| 1927 | 9,827 |
| 1928 | 9,784 |
| 1929 | 9,113 |
| 1930 | 9,113 |
| 1931 | 8,211 |
| 1932 | 8,109 |
| 1933 | 7,396 |
| 1934 | 7,189 |
| 1935 | 6,893 |
| 1936 | 6,417 |
| 1937 | 6,031 |
| 1938 | 6,144 |
| 1939 | 5,909 |
| 1940 | 5,833 |
| 1941 | 5,784 |
| 1942 | 6,123 |
| 1943 | 5,921 |
| 1944 | 5,530 |
| 1945 | 5,189 |
| 1946 | 5,694 |
| 1947 | 6,205 |
| 1948 | 5,631 |
| 1949 | 5,623 |
| 1950 | 5,499 |
| 1951 | 5,598 |
| 1952 | 5,340 |
| 1953 | 5,167 |
| 1954 | 5,053 |
| 1955 | 4,817 |
| 1956 | 4,637 |
| 1957 | 4,423 |
| 1958 | 4,034 |
| 1959 | 3,909 |
| 1960 | 3,778 |
| 1961 | 3,459 |
| 1962 | 3,324 |
| 1963 | 3,246 |
| 1964 | 3,096 |
| 1965 | 2,734 |
| 1966 | 2,640 |
| 1967 | 2,468 |
| 1968 | 2,390 |
| 1969 | 2,364 |
| 1970 | 2,278 |
| 1971 | 2,073 |
| 1972 | 1,824 |
| 1973 | 1,739 |
| 1974 | 1,626 |
| 1975 | 1,540 |
| 1976 | 1,526 |
| 1977 | 1,412 |
| 1978 | 1,339 |
| 1979 | 1,347 |
| 1980 | 1,300 |
| 1981 | 1,186 |
| 1982 | 1,241 |
| 1983 | 1,117 |
| 1984 | 1,080 |
| 1985 | 1,006 |
| 1986 | 1,028 |
| 1987 | 909 |
| 1988 | 922 |
| 1989 | 895 |
| 1990 | 815 |
| 1991 | 784 |
| 1992 | 728 |
| 1993 | 649 |
| 1994 | 636 |
| 1995 | 529 |
| 1996 | 496 |
| 1997 | 517 |
| 1998 | 494 |
| 1999 | 484 |
| 2000 | 462 |
| 2001 | 430 |
| 2002 | 411 |
| 2003 | 393 |
| 2004 | 392 |
| 2005 | 346 |
| 2006 | 352 |
| 2007 | 358 |
| 2008 | 341 |
| 2009 | 312 |
| 2010 | 297 |
| 2011 | 268 |
| 2012 | 315 |
| 2013 | 290 |
| 2014 | 291 |
| 2015 | 274 |
| 2016 | 305 |
| 2017 | 274 |
| 2018 | 254 |
| 2019 | 301 |
| 2020 | 272 |
| 2021 | 279 |
| 2022 | 248 |
| 2023 | 251 |
| 2024 | 276 |
Eugene through the decades
- Eugene peaked in 1927, when 9,827 babies were named Eugene in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Eugene has fallen 14% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Eugene currently ranks #870 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Gene
Variants & spellings
Eugenio
Famous people named Eugene
- Eugene O'Neill — playwright