Genese
Of French origin, a reference to Genesis and signifying new beginnings.
Name Census estimates that about 305 living Americans carry the first name Genese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Genese today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Genese births was 1980 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Genese. 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.
People living today
305
~ 1 in 1,123,785 Americans
Peak year
1980
101 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2006 SSA rank
#18,086
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Genese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Genese from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 171 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Genese 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 Genese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Geneses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Genese, while Virginia, Louisiana, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Genese
The name Genese has its roots in the French language and culture, dating back to the 16th century. It is a feminine form derived from the Greek word "genesis," which means "origin" or "creation." This name has been associated with the biblical book of Genesis, which narrates the creation story and the origins of the universe according to Christian and Jewish traditions.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Genese can be found in French literature from the Renaissance period. It was popularized by the French poet and playwright Pierre de Ronsard, who wrote a sonnet titled "À Genèse" in the 16th century, celebrating the beauty and virtue of a woman named Genese.
In the 17th century, the name Genese appeared in religious texts and sermons, often used as a symbolic reference to the divine act of creation or the beginnings of human existence. Some theologians and scholars of that era drew parallels between the name and the concept of regeneration or spiritual rebirth.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Genese. One of the earliest recorded was Genese de Monfort, a French noblewoman who lived in the 13th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and her charitable works.
In the 18th century, Genese Guesdon was a French painter and engraver who gained recognition for her portraits and landscape paintings. She was born in 1750 and lived until 1832, leaving a significant artistic legacy.
Moving into the 19th century, Genese Bouvier was a French playwright and novelist who wrote several successful plays and novels that explored themes of love, family, and societal norms. She was born in 1824 and died in 1894.
Another notable figure was Genese Lamartine, a French poet and political leader who played a prominent role in the Revolution of 1848. Born in 1790, she was known for her Romantic poetry and her advocacy for democratic reforms.
In the 20th century, Genese Duval was a French filmmaker and cinematographer who worked on several critically acclaimed films in the 1960s and 1970s. She was born in 1935 and made significant contributions to the French New Wave cinema movement.
People
Genese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Genese 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
Genese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Genese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 305 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Genese 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 1,123,785 US residents.
Is Genese a common name?
We classify Genese as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 381 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Genese most popular?
The single biggest year for Genese was 1980, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Genese is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Genese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Genese 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.
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.