Gen
A name of Japanese origin meaning "source" or "origin".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Gen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Gen today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gen births was 1995 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1995
7 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2006 SSA rank
#5,795
Tracked since 1924
Census
Gen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,136 people with the first name Gen, which placed it at #11,344 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,344
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,136 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
43.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.2%) and Hispanic (12.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander43.3% · 492
- White30.2% · 343
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 143
- Black or African American6.6% · 75
- Two or more races6.1% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 14
Gender
Gender distribution for Gen
Gen leans heavily male at 84.8% of total registrations, but 12 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gen as a male name
- Ranked #12,675 in 2006
- 5 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1995 (7 births)
Gen as a female name
- Ranked #5,795 in 1959
- 6 female births in 1959
- Peak: 1924 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gen on both sides of the split. Of the 1,141 people counted with this name, 553 were male (48.5%) and 588 were female (51.5%).
Popularity
Gen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gen from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 23 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gen
The name Gen originates from the Japanese language and culture, with its roots tracing back to ancient times. It is a shortened version of the name Genki, which means "energetic" or "vigorous" in Japanese.
Gen has been a popular name in Japan for centuries, often given to boys with the hope that they would possess a lively and vibrant spirit. In Japanese mythology, Gen is also associated with the god of war and valor, making it a name that carries a sense of strength and courage.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gen can be found in historical documents from the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan. During this time, the name was particularly favored among the noble and samurai classes, as it embodied the values of bravery and resilience.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Gen was Gen no Sukekuni, a legendary samurai warrior from the 12th century. He was renowned for his unwavering loyalty and exceptional swordsmanship, and his name has become synonymous with the ideals of bushido, the code of honor and conduct for samurai.
Another famous Gen in Japanese history was Gen'yo Ibun, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). He was a prominent figure in the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan and authored several influential texts on the subject.
In more recent times, Gen Nakatani, a Japanese politician born in 1952, has served as the Minister of Defense and played a significant role in shaping Japan's security policies.
Beyond Japan, the name Gen has also been used in other cultures, albeit to a lesser extent. In Chinese culture, the name Gen (or Gen Zi) is sometimes used as a diminutive form of the name Gengzi, which refers to the seventh zodiac sign, the Rooster.
Throughout history, the name Gen has been carried by individuals who have left an indelible mark on their respective fields, from warfare and philosophy to politics and literature. While its origins lie in Japanese culture, the name's enduring popularity and associations with energy, vigor, and valor have transcended borders and time.
People
Gen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Gen a common name?
We classify Gen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 79 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gen most popular?
The single biggest year for Gen was 1995, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gen is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,136 people with the name Gen, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,344 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gen?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gen on both sides of the split. Of the 1,141 people counted with this name, 553 were male (48.5%) and 588 were female (51.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gen is Asian/Pacific Islander at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (30.2%) and Hispanic (12.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gen most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Gen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.3% (492 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gen a male name?
Yes, 84.8% of people registered as Gen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Gen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.