Genevra
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "woman of Geneva".
Name Census estimates that about 95 living Americans carry the first name Genevra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Genevra today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Genevra births was 1921 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Genevra. 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 Genevra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
95
~ 1 in 3,607,940 Americans
Peak year
1921
20 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2004 SSA rank
#16,992
Tracked since 1882
Census
Genevra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 249 people with the first name Genevra, which placed it at #33,298 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
#33,298
National first-name rank
People counted
249
249 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Genevra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Genevra is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Genevra 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 Genevra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 208
- Black or African American7.6% · 19
- Two or more races4.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Genevra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Genevra from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Genevra 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 Genevra 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 Genevra
The name Genevra has its roots in the French language and culture, originating from the Latin name "Genovefa" or "Genoveva." It is a feminine form of the Old German name "Kenowefa," derived from the elements "keno" (brave) and "wefa" (weaver). This name's earliest known origins can be traced back to the 5th century.
The name Genevra gained widespread recognition and popularity due to its association with Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, who lived in the 5th century AD. According to legend, she played a pivotal role in preventing the Huns from invading and destroying Paris, earning her the title of the "Protector of Paris."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Genevra can be found in the literary works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned English poet of the 14th century. In his famous work, "The Canterbury Tales," Chaucer introduced a character named Genevra, solidifying the name's presence in English literature.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Genevra. One such figure was Genevra de' Benci (1457-1520), an Italian Renaissance noblewoman who commissioned a portrait from the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. This portrait is now housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Another influential figure was Genevra Littlewood (1881-1967), a British mathematician and academic. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the areas of analysis and number theory. Littlewood's work laid the foundation for modern mathematics education.
In the literary world, Genevra Sedgwick (1870-1924) was an American novelist and short story writer. Her works often explored themes of social inequality and the struggles of women in the early 20th century. Her novel "The Damnation of Theron Ware" received critical acclaim and is considered a classic of American literature.
Genevra O'Reilly (1932-2016) was an Irish actress and writer who had a successful career on stage, television, and film. She is best known for her roles in productions such as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Doctor Who."
Finally, Genevra Forster (1766-1849) was a Swiss-born English writer and diarist. Her diaries and letters provide valuable insights into the social and cultural life of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in England, offering a unique perspective on the lives of women during that era.
People
Genevra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Genevra 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
Genevra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Genevra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 95 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Genevra 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 3,607,940 US residents.
Is Genevra a common name?
We classify Genevra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 307 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Genevra most popular?
The single biggest year for Genevra was 1921, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Genevra is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Genevra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 249 people with the name Genevra, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,298 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 Genevra 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 Genevra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Genevra appears almost entirely female. Of the 256 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Genevra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Genevra is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Genevra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Genevra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (208 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 Genevra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Genevra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Genevra 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 Genevra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Genevra 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 Genevra 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 Genevra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.