Total births
12,824
Girls' name · since 1880
Gena
12,824 babies named Gena in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1968. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11130
- among girls today
- 12,824
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Gena is the #11130 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 12,824 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Gena recorded 12,824 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #11130 nationally today, ahead of 37% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #11130 among girls today
- 12,824 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gena is currently the #11130 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 12,824 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #11130
- among girls today
- 12,824
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Gena vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11130
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
31% of everyone ever named Gena was born in this single decade.
1968
Single peak year
502 babies were named Gena in 1968 - its busiest year on record.
How Gena compares
12,824 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gena's all-time total is 34x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gena | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,824 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 502 | 48 | 19,840 |
Gena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Gena's SSA record in two at 1952 and the more recent half accounts for 88% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 12%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1968 peak of 502, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Gena at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1968
Current rank
#11,130
Active since
1880
Gena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1968)
- 502
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Gena by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Gena's strongest decade.
3,967 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Gena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 102
1880s
102 births
- 1890s 143
1890s
143 births
- 1900s 117
1900s
117 births
- 1910s 219
1910s
219 births
- 1920s 289
1920s
289 births
- 1930s 210
1930s
210 births
- 1940s 349
1940s
349 births
- 1950s 1,233
1950s
1,233 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,967 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,214 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,711 births
- 1990s 765
1990s
765 births
- 2000s 368
2000s
368 births
- 2010s 117
2010s
117 births
- 2020s 20
2020s
20 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 3,967 births (31% of all-time use).
How Gena compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Gena's total volume
Gena vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Gena by state
Where Gena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,217 | 9.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,094 | 8.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 517 | 4.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 493 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 353 | 2.8% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 343 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 328 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 324 | 2.5% |
California share of Gena's total US births 9.5%
Even split
1,217 of 12,824 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Gena appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gena? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 12,824 babies named Gena. Today it holds rank #11130 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1968, with 502 births.
When was Gena most popular? ▼
Gena was most popular in the 1960s decade with 3,967 total births. The single peak year was 1968.
Where is Gena most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gena are California (1,217 births), Texas (1,094 births), Illinois (517 births).
How long has the name Gena been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Gena since 1880 -- 145 years through the most recent 2024 data.
What names are similar to Gena? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Genevieve, Genesis, Geneva, Gene, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gena's data
- Gena's decade-level peak was the 1960s (3,967 total births); usage has since declined to 20 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Genas (1,217 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gena
Nearby Names Like Gena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gena
Genevieve Girl
#165 125,131 births
Genesis Girl
#55 93,578 births
Geneva Girl
#1598 88,758 births
Gene Girl
#15326 6,997 births
Genna Girl
#15516 3,032 births
Compare Gena side by side: Gena vs Genevieve Gena vs Genesis Gena vs Geneva
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gena
Charles #11129
12,476 births · Peak 1927
Esta #11131
4,439 births · Peak 1920
Beryl #11128
10,130 births · Peak 1920
Sabra #11132
4,960 births · Peak 1961
Iola #11127
9,659 births · Peak 1918
Ula #11133
1,618 births · Peak 1924
Vinnie #11126
3,119 births · Peak 1916
Aletha #11134
6,948 births · Peak 1923
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gena: #11130 Girls' Name - 12,824 Births, Peak 1968." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gena. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gena draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.