Eugene

Did you know?

A few things about Eugene you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Eugene

Eugene O'Neill

American playwright (1888–1953)

Choose Eugene and your child shares a first name with Eugene O'Neill, an American playwright. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Eugene, like who?” Eugene O'Neill's Wikipedia article is available in 107 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Eugene O'Neill on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Nobel Foundation, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,859 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Eugene, 249 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Eugene would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryEugene has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Eugenes, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1929, when it ranked #20. Today it's #943, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendEugene has slipped 104 places over the last five years and now sits at #943. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedEugene is most popular in Idaho, where it ranks #377, followed by Kansas (#524) and Colorado (#535). It's in the top 1,000 in 17 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Eugene means “well-born”. Our records link it to English, French and Greek roots.

About the name Eugene

Eugene is a boy name of English, French and Greek origin meaning “well-born”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-ene”. US birth records list Eugene for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1929, when it ranked #20 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #943, with 249 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGreek names