Unisex name · since 1880

Gene

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 126,877 babies named Gene, peaking in 1937. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#265 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,233 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
126,877
born since 1880
1930s
peak decade

Gene currently ranks #2233 among unisex names in America, with 126,877 babies recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Gene recorded 126,877 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2233 nationally today, ahead of 84% of boys, peaking in the 1930s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #265 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,233 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 126,877 born since 1880
  • 1930s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gene ranks #265 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,233 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 126,877 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.

#265 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,233 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
126,877
born since 1880
1930s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%83.9%
Gene vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Gene's 126,877 recorded births place it above 99.41% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Gene compares

126,877 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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

Gene's all-time total is 344x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Gene Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 126,877 369 358,536
Peak-year births 3,165 34 22,252

Gene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Gene splits its recorded history at 1953: 32% of all births land in the more recent half, 68% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1937 peak of 3,165 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Gene popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1937)
3,165
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
01,0002,0003,0004,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 63

Gene popularity over time - girls

6,997 total births recorded since 1882 (Gene as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 6,997 births
0100200300400 188219011917193319491965198119982024 5

Gene by decade

1930s is the heaviest window (29,313 births, 23% of the file).

1930s was Gene's strongest decade.

29,313 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.

Gene births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1930s at 29,313 births (23% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Gene compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Gene's total volume

Gene vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 6080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -122, 9%-102, 5.1%-146, 2%-139, 6.7%-146, 1.8%-146, 2.3%-121, 6.8%-146, 6.8%-146, 3.5%-80, 4.6%-146, 3.4%-118, 3.5%-146, 3.7%-144, 6%-146, 1.6%Gene-146, 2.5%Gene
Gene vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Gene by state

Where Gene concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gene
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
8,025 6.3%
#2 Texas
7,834 6.2%
#3 Illinois
6,997 5.5%
#4 Ohio
6,871 5.4%
#5 New York
5,813 4.6%
#6 Pennsylvania
5,374 4.2%
#7 Missouri
4,283 3.4%
#8 Michigan
4,124 3.3%
California share of Gene's total US births 6.3%
Even split

8,025 of 126,877 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Gene appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Gene? ▼
126,877 babies have been named Gene since 1880. All-time, it sits at #265 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,233 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1937 with 3,165 births.
Where does Gene sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gene ranks #265 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,233 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Gene most popular? ▼
Gene was most popular in the 1930s decade with 29,313 total births. The single peak year was 1937.
Where is Gene most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gene are California (8,025 births), Texas (7,834 births), Illinois (6,997 births).
Is Gene a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Gene is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 126,877 births, and as a girl's name it has 6,997 births.
How long has the name Gene been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Gene since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Gene? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Genaro, Gentry, General, Geno, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Gene's data

  • Gene's decade-level peak was the 1930s (29,313 total births); usage has since declined to 473 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Genes (8,025 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Gene

Nearby Names Like Gene

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gene

Genaro Boy
#2264 7,669 births
Gentry Boy
#1809 4,287 births
General Boy
4,025 births
Geno Boy
#2727 3,725 births
Genesis Boy
#1308 3,666 births

Compare Gene side by side: Gene vs Genaro Gene vs Gentry Gene vs General

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Gene

Roscoe #2232
22,159 births · Peak 1920
Arie #2234
2,579 births · Peak 2023
Floyd #2231
154,370 births · Peak 1926
Tyce #2235
2,614 births · Peak 2010
Earl #2230
289,174 births · Peak 1921
Vinny #2236
1,359 births · Peak 2025
Kaizyn #2229
208 births · Peak 2025
Klaus #2237
1,471 births · Peak 2022

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Gene: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

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 Gene 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 August 2026.