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BabyNames
Boy name#224 of boy names

Gene

Pronounced JH IY1 N (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1937
  • 145 years in use
  • 4 spellings
Compare

How popular is Gene?

Gene is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 156,892 children — the 224th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 45% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1937, when 3,337 children were given it.

Four other spellings are counted in that total — Jean, Gean, Jeanne and one more — because they are pronounced identically.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
19373,337

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Gene and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Jean
  • Gean
  • Jeanne
  • Jeane

Nicknames

Gene is itself a short form of Eugene.

Characteristics

  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
JH IY1 N
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Gene

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Gene

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Gene?
Gene ranks 224th among boys' names in US records, with 156,892 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,547.
Is Gene a unisex name?
No. Gene is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Gene most popular?
1937, when 3,337 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Gene spelled?
Jean, Gean, Jeanne, Jeane. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.