Given name & surname · also Latin
Gennaro
“born of Janus”
Gennaro is used as a given name and a surname. One Italian interpretation is “born of Janus.”
Original ItalianZennaro
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Italian interpretation is “born of Janus.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gennaro through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,542
- 2,542 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1926
- 42 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #4,915 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +37%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 20 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,915 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 37.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 42 in 1926. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,007 as a first name in 2020; 1,307 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.
Gennaro’s family of names
Gennaro shares a linguistic root with Jenaro. In Italian usage, Gennaro has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form January. In Italian usage, Gennaro has a conventional equivalent in the French form JANVIER.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gennaro has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Zennarovariant · Italian
- Genuariovariant · Italian
- Gennarrolikely variant
- Gennariovariant
- Gennareovariant
- Gennarusvariant
- Gennariosvariant
- Gennarosvariant
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Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Gennarinipatronymic from · Italian
- Genaroequivalent
- Januarydoublet · Polish, English
- Jenarocognate
- Janvieralso known as · French
- Januarioequivalent
- Gennarequivalent
- Gianuarioequivalent
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People named Gennaro
- Gennaro GattusoItalian association football player and managerborn 1978
- JanuariusBishop of Naples (232-305)272–305
- Gennaro VerolinoItalian archbishop (1906–2005)
- Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di BelmonteCatholic cardinal (1851–1948)
- Jerry ValeAmerican singer (1930–2014)
- Gennaro BraciglianoFrench footballerborn 1980
- Gennaro MannaItalian composer (1715-1779)
- Gennaro DelvecchioItalian footballerborn 1978
- Gennaro RighelliItalian film director and screenwriter (1886-1949)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Gennaro, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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