Eugene
Eugene was given to 249 boys in 2025, #943 among boys’ names; 383,340 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 128,000 Americans named Eugene and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (33% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 52 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Eugene by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Eugene mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Eugene is “a male given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the senses “well born” (Εὐγένιος) and “good, well” (εὖ) and “born a certain way” (-γενής).
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.
/juˈd͡ʒin/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Eugene?
#943 among boys’ names, 2025
Eugene fell from #826 in 2015 to #943 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 0.14 to 0.15 per 1,000.
9,827 babies in 1927, the peak
Eugene peaked in 1927, when 9,827 babies were given it (9,742 boys, #20 among boys’ names). The 249 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 249 | #943 | 0.15 |
| 2024 | 276 | #875 | 0.16 |
| 2023 | 251 | #919 | 0.15 |
| 2022 | 248 | #930 | 0.14 |
| 2021 | 279 | #850 | 0.16 |
| 2020 | 272 | #840 | 0.16 |
| 2019 | 296 | #786 | 0.16 |
| 2018 | 254 | #864 | 0.14 |
| 2017 | 274 | #822 | 0.15 |
| 2016 | 300 | #790 | 0.16 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 274 | #826 | 0.14 |
| 2014 | 291 | #791 | 0.15 |
| 2013 | 291 | #770 | 0.15 |
| 2012 | 315 | #735 | 0.17 |
| 2011 | 263 | #825 | 0.14 |
| 2010 | 287 | #776 | 0.15 |
| 2009 | 312 | #743 | 0.16 |
| 2008 | 341 | #696 | 0.17 |
| 2007 | 351 | #677 | 0.17 |
| 2006 | 352 | #654 | 0.17 |
| 2005 | 340 | #640 | 0.17 |
| 2004 | 383 | #583 | 0.19 |
| 2003 | 383 | #576 | 0.19 |
| 2002 | 405 | #548 | 0.21 |
| 2001 | 422 | #525 | 0.22 |
| 2000 | 454 | #504 | 0.23 |
| 1999 | 484 | #472 | 0.25 |
| 1998 | 487 | #462 | 0.25 |
| 1997 | 512 | #438 | 0.27 |
| 1996 | 496 | #451 | 0.26 |
| 1995 | 529 | #430 | 0.28 |
| 1994 | 636 | #372 | 0.33 |
| 1993 | 642 | #369 | 0.33 |
| 1992 | 716 | #338 | 0.36 |
| 1991 | 776 | #326 | 0.38 |
| 1990 | 810 | #312 | 0.39 |
| 1989 | 885 | #282 | 0.44 |
| 1988 | 912 | #257 | 0.48 |
| 1987 | 896 | #254 | 0.48 |
| 1986 | 1,018 | #231 | 0.55 |
| 1985 | 996 | #232 | 0.54 |
| 1984 | 1,066 | #214 | 0.59 |
| 1983 | 1,100 | #210 | 0.61 |
| 1982 | 1,228 | #201 | 0.68 |
| 1981 | 1,172 | #212 | 0.65 |
| 1980 | 1,287 | #191 | 0.72 |
| 1979 | 1,331 | #182 | 0.77 |
| 1978 | 1,329 | #175 | 0.81 |
| 1977 | 1,395 | #170 | 0.85 |
| 1976 | 1,513 | #159 | 1.0 |
| 1975 | 1,518 | #160 | 1.0 |
| 1974 | 1,601 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1973 | 1,717 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1972 | 1,807 | #145 | 1.1 |
| 1971 | 2,059 | #145 | 1.2 |
| 1970 | 2,264 | #146 | 1.2 |
| 1969 | 2,351 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1968 | 2,365 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 1967 | 2,450 | #122 | 1.4 |
| 1966 | 2,621 | #116 | 1.5 |
| 1965 | 2,714 | #120 | 1.5 |
| 1964 | 3,077 | #114 | 1.5 |
| 1963 | 3,216 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 1962 | 3,304 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 1961 | 3,452 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 1960 | 3,761 | #109 | 1.8 |
| 1959 | 3,890 | #106 | 1.8 |
| 1958 | 4,015 | #103 | 1.9 |
| 1957 | 4,410 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1956 | 4,620 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1955 | 4,791 | #81 | 2.3 |
| 1954 | 5,033 | #77 | 2.5 |
| 1953 | 5,147 | #75 | 2.6 |
| 1952 | 5,314 | #71 | 2.7 |
| 1951 | 5,580 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1950 | 5,481 | #58 | 3.1 |
| 1949 | 5,595 | #58 | 3.2 |
| 1948 | 5,608 | #61 | 3.2 |
| 1947 | 6,178 | #59 | 3.4 |
| 1946 | 5,670 | #57 | 3.5 |
| 1945 | 5,167 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1944 | 5,505 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 1943 | 5,902 | #47 | 4.1 |
| 1942 | 6,092 | #45 | 4.4 |
| 1941 | 5,754 | #42 | 4.7 |
| 1940 | 5,804 | #38 | 5.0 |
| 1939 | 5,869 | #37 | 5.3 |
| 1938 | 6,112 | #33 | 5.5 |
| 1937 | 5,999 | #33 | 5.6 |
| 1936 | 6,376 | #29 | 6.1 |
| 1935 | 6,859 | #26 | 6.6 |
| 1934 | 7,145 | #24 | 6.9 |
| 1933 | 7,352 | #23 | 7.4 |
| 1932 | 8,046 | #22 | 7.7 |
| 1931 | 8,151 | #21 | 7.8 |
| 1930 | 9,029 | #21 | 8.2 |
| 1929 | 9,046 | #20 | 8.4 |
| 1928 | 9,708 | #20 | 8.8 |
| 1927 | 9,742 | #20 | 8.6 |
| 1926 | 9,016 | #23 | 8.1 |
| 1925 | 8,517 | #24 | 7.6 |
| 1924 | 8,346 | #25 | 7.4 |
| 1923 | 7,947 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1922 | 7,849 | #25 | 7.2 |
| 1921 | 7,717 | #26 | 7.0 |
| 1920 | 6,867 | #30 | 6.5 |
| 1919 | 5,892 | #33 | 6.0 |
| 1918 | 5,631 | #35 | 5.6 |
| 1917 | 4,873 | #39 | 5.3 |
| 1916 | 4,646 | #39 | 5.2 |
| 1915 | 4,321 | #41 | 5.1 |
| 1914 | 3,211 | #43 | 4.9 |
| 1913 | 2,525 | #43 | 4.9 |
| 1912 | 2,114 | #41 | 4.9 |
| 1911 | 1,060 | #43 | 4.7 |
| 1910 | 888 | #39 | 4.6 |
| 1909 | 724 | #43 | 4.4 |
| 1908 | 689 | #43 | 4.5 |
| 1907 | 691 | #41 | 4.7 |
| 1906 | 637 | #39 | 4.8 |
| 1905 | 593 | #42 | 4.5 |
| 1904 | 541 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1903 | 478 | #44 | 4.0 |
| 1902 | 524 | #44 | 4.3 |
| 1901 | 445 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1900 | 587 | #45 | 3.9 |
| 1899 | 449 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1898 | 473 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1897 | 447 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1896 | 507 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1895 | 430 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1894 | 421 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 1893 | 392 | #53 | 3.5 |
| 1892 | 414 | #53 | 3.4 |
| 1891 | 362 | #48 | 3.6 |
| 1890 | 408 | #46 | 3.7 |
| 1889 | 369 | #52 | 3.3 |
| 1888 | 398 | #53 | 3.3 |
| 1887 | 327 | #53 | 3.2 |
| 1886 | 362 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 1885 | 345 | #51 | 3.2 |
| 1884 | 321 | #59 | 2.8 |
| 1883 | 325 | #51 | 3.1 |
| 1882 | 341 | #53 | 3.0 |
| 1881 | 314 | #49 | 3.1 |
| 1880 | 328 | #53 | 3.0 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Eugene a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Eugene has been given almost only to boys: 2,632 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Eugene: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Eugene, and how old are they?
128,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 33% of the 383,340 Americans ever recorded as Eugene. The median Eugene alive today is 67 years old; half are between 52 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 143,351 people named Eugene (664 women and girls, 142,687 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 156,687 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 21,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 56,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 26,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 13,300 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,060 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 3,540 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Eugene born?
The states with the most babies named Eugene are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 24% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 35,748 | #1,011 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 30,131 | #870 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 22,427 | #1,174 | 1.1× |
| California | 18,434 | #970 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 18,228 | #886 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 14,381 | #792 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 14,182 | #1,046 | 0.7× |
| Wisconsin | 12,068 | #717 | 1.3× |
| New Jersey | 11,692 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 11,385 | #1,134 | 1.1× |
Where Eugene is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Eugene is most over-represented in Wisconsin: since 1910 it was given 1.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Eugene with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 4 names spelled alike, given to 388,968 babies since 1880, Eugene is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 249 of their 285 babies (87%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Eugene
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Eugene and names like it
- Compare Eugene and EugenioBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sEugene peaked in 1927.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Eugene since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Eugene: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1927The year the most babies were named Eugene.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Eugene alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with EMost given first.