Genneth
A feminine given name potentially derived from Genesis, meaning "new beginning".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Genneth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Genneth today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Genneth births was 1944 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Genneth. 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 Genneth is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Genneths were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Genneth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1944
7 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,830
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Genneth: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Genneth 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 Genneth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Genneth
The name Genneth is an anglicized spelling of the Irish Gaelic name Geanaith, which derives from the Old Irish word gein, meaning "birth" or "descendant." This name was first recorded in the 8th century CE and was popular among the ancient Celts who inhabited parts of what is now Ireland and Scotland.
The earliest known bearer of this name was St. Genneth, a 7th-century Irish monk and scholar who resided at the monasteries of Iona and Lindisfarne. He is credited with writing several religious texts and hymns that were widely circulated in medieval Europe.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Genneth MacAlpin was a Scottish chieftain who fought against the Norman invaders in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His bravery and leadership during this pivotal conflict earned him a place in Scottish folklore and bardic traditions.
During the Middle Ages, the name Genneth appeared in various chronicles and genealogical records of noble families in Ireland and Scotland. One such example is Genneth O'Neill, a 14th-century Irish lord who ruled over the territory of Tyrone.
In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the English explorer and navigator Genneth Frobisher, who led several expeditions to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. He was born in Yorkshire, England, around 1535 and is remembered for his contributions to early Arctic exploration.
Another noteworthy bearer of this name was Genneth Mowat, a Scottish philosopher and academic who lived in the 18th century. Born in Edinburgh in 1718, he wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind, and was a respected figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.
Over the centuries, the name Genneth has remained relatively uncommon, though it has been used sporadically in English-speaking regions with strong Celtic cultural influences, particularly in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England.
People
Genneth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Genneth 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
Genneth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Genneth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Genneth 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 Genneth a common name?
We classify Genneth 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, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Genneth most popular?
The single biggest year for Genneth was 1944, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Genneth is about 86 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 Genneth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Genneth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Genneth 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 Genneth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Genneth 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 Genneth 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 Genneth as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Genneth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.