Genie
A feminine diminutive form of the name Eugenia, meaning "well-born" or "noble."
Name Census estimates that about 1,626 living Americans carry the first name Genie. It is a predominantly female name (94.0% of registrations). The average person named Genie today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Genie births was 1982 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Genie. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 210,796 Americans
Peak year
1982
69 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,493
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Genie
Genie leans heavily female at 94.0% of total registrations, but 173 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Genie as a male name
- Ranked #3,493 in 1951
- 6 male births in 1951
- Peak: 1926 (11 births)
Genie as a female name
- Ranked #16,049 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1982 (69 births)
Popularity
Genie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Genie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 391 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Genie 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 Genie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Genies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Genie, while Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Genie
The name Genie has its roots in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "jinni," which refers to supernatural spirits or entities in Islamic mythology. The word "jinni" itself is believed to originate from the Arabic root word "janna," meaning "to conceal" or "to hide."
Jinnis, or genies, are mentioned in the Quran and other Islamic texts. They are described as beings created from smokeless fire, existing in a parallel realm to humans. In Arabic folklore and literature, genies are often portrayed as powerful and mischievous creatures that can grant wishes or cause trouble for humans.
The earliest recorded use of the name Genie can be traced back to the medieval Islamic world, where it was likely used as a reference to these mythical beings. It gained popularity in Western literature through the translation and adaptation of Arabic folktales, most notably the "Arabian Nights" or "One Thousand and One Nights" collection of stories.
One of the most famous examples of a genie character is the one featured in the tale of "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp." In this story, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic lamp containing a powerful genie who grants him three wishes. This tale is believed to have originated in the Middle East and was first included in the "Arabian Nights" collection in the 18th century.
Throughout history, the name Genie has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Jinnah Begum (1537-1596), a prominent female figure in the Mughal Empire who was the wife of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Another historical figure with the name Genie is Eugenie Imperatrice (1826-1920), the wife of Napoleon III and the last Empress of France. She was born in Spain and her full name was Eugénie de Montijo.
In the literary world, Genie Benson (1936-2015) was an American author and journalist who wrote several books, including her memoir "Walking Naked Through Life" and the novel "The Brutal Language of Love."
In the realm of entertainment, Genie Francis (born 1962) is an American actress best known for her role as Laura Spencer on the soap opera "General Hospital." She has been associated with the show since the late 1970s and has won several Daytime Emmy Awards.
Finally, Genie Bouchard (born 1994) is a professional tennis player from Canada. She achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world in 2014 and reached the semifinals of two Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open and the French Open.
People
Genie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Genie 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
Genie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Genie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,626 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Genie 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 210,796 US residents.
Is Genie a common name?
We classify Genie as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,904 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Genie most popular?
The single biggest year for Genie was 1982, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Genie is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Genie a female name?
Yes, 94.0% of people registered as Genie 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.