Given name & surname · also Old French
Eugene
“a wellborn man”
Eugene is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a wellborn man.”
Original GreekΕυγένιος
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a wellborn man.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Old French and Greek naming traditions.
How it developed
In English usage, Eugene developed from the Latin form Eugenius. In English usage, Eugene developed from the Ancient Greek form Εὐγένιος.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Eugene through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 383,340
- 380,708 boys · 2,632 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 9,827 babies
- 2025
- 249
- #943 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 249 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 943 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 9,742 in 1927. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (23). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 143,351 as a first name in 2020; 4,713 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Eugene’s family of names
Eugene has a short form in Gene. In English usage, Eugene shares an earlier linguistic root with Owen. In English usage, Eugene has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Eugenia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Eugene has relatives in 25 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Eugene comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Genediminutive · English
- Eugeniovariant · Spanish, Italian
- Geniediminutive · English
- Eugenvariant · German, Slovene
- Gendiminutive · English
- Eugennelikely variant
- Evgeneyvariant
- Evgenievariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Across languages 42
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΕυγένιοςGreek
- Εὐγένιοςroot · Ancient Greek
- Owendoublet · English
- Eugeniafeminine form · Spanish
- OwainWelsh
- Jewgienijequivalent
- Evgeniosequivalent
- Yawhenequivalent
Show 34 moreShow fewer
- Evgenequivalent
- Eŭgenoequivalent
- Eugenijusequivalent
- Yevheniyequivalent
- Eugénequivalent
- Йовґенequivalent
- Udjinneequivalent
- Евгенијequivalent
- Євгенійequivalent
- Яўгенequivalent
- Євгенequivalent
- Яўгенійequivalent
- Ugèneequivalent
- ЮджинRussian
- ЕвгенияRussian
- ЕвгенийRussian
- ᚄᚑᚌᚔᚅᚔcognate · pgl
- 尤金borrowing · Chinese
- Eugènesource · French
- Yevgenydoublet · English
- Eiženscognate · Latvian
- Uxiorelated form
- Efigeniorelated form
- ԵվգենիArmenian
- Jenőcognate · Hungarian
- Eugéniocognate · Portuguese
- ევგენიGeorgian
- Eugêniosee also · Portuguese
- Yevgenicognate · Azerbaijani
- Evžencognate · Czech
- EugeniCatalan
- EugèniOccitan
- Eugeniuszcognate · Polish
- Eugénecognate
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Eugene
- Eugene O'NeillAmerican playwright (1888–1953)
- Gene HackmanAmerican actor and novelist (1930–2025)
- Gene KellyAmerican dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer (1912–1996)
- Gore VidalAmerican writer (1925–2012)
- Gene RoddenberryAmerican television screenwriter and producer (1921–1991)
- Gene CernanNASA astronaut, Naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, electrical engineer, fighter pilot, eleventh human to walk on the Moon (Apollo 10 and Apollo 17)1934–2017
- Eugene Merle ShoemakerAmerican geologist and astronomer1928–1997
- Eugene V. DebsAmerican labor and political leader (1855–1926)
- Eugene LevyCanadian actor and comedianborn 1946
Characters named Eugene: Flynn Rider (Disney's Tangled), Eugene Porter (The Walking Dead).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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