Geneiva
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "stolen" or "theft".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Geneiva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Geneiva today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Geneiva births was 1930 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Geneiva. 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
- • The typical person named Geneiva is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Geneivas were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Geneiva. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1930
8 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1945 SSA rank
#4,801
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Geneiva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Geneiva from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 8 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Geneiva remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Geneiva 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 Geneiva 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 Geneiva
The name Geneiva is believed to have its origins in the ancient Semitic languages, specifically Aramaic and Hebrew. It is a feminine name that was likely derived from the Aramaic word "gennav," which translates to "garden" or "paradise." This connection to nature and the idea of a beautiful, lush garden is thought to be the primary meaning behind the name.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Geneiva gained popularity among certain communities in the Middle East and North Africa. It is speculated that this was due to the name's association with the biblical concept of the Garden of Eden, a paradise created by God for Adam and Eve.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Geneiva can be found in the writings of St. Jerome, a 4th-century Christian scholar and theologian. In his work, he mentions a woman named Geneiva who was a follower of the early Christian church.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Geneiva remained relatively uncommon, but it did appear occasionally in historical records and religious texts. One notable example is Geneiva of Besançon, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the Renaissance period, the name gained some popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Geneiva Borgia (1492-1516), an Italian noblewoman and the daughter of the notorious Cesare Borgia.
Another significant figure was Geneiva de' Medici (1522-1585), a member of the powerful Medici family in Florence. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Renaissance humanist movement.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Geneiva appeared less frequently, but it did have a few notable bearers. One was Geneiva Maria Grimaldi (1646-1714), a member of the ruling family of Monaco and a patron of the arts.
In the 19th century, the name saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly in certain parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable bearer was Geneiva Everett (1819-1901), an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement.
As the name Geneiva is relatively uncommon in modern times, there are fewer well-known individuals with this name in recent history. However, its rich heritage and connections to nature, paradise, and religious symbolism make it a unique and fascinating name with a long and diverse history.
People
Geneiva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Geneiva 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
Geneiva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Geneiva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Geneiva 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Geneiva a common name?
We classify Geneiva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Geneiva most popular?
The single biggest year for Geneiva was 1930, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Geneiva is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Geneiva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Geneiva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Geneiva in the SSA data are female. 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 Geneiva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Geneiva 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 Geneiva 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Geneiva as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Geneiva, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.