How Many People Are Named Gene?
An estimated 62,564 people in the United States have the first name Gene. It is predominantly male (94.8%). The average bearer is 68 years old, and Gene peaked in popularity in 1928 with 3,311 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Gene as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Gene paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 68, Gene is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1968.
- Gene has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
62,564
About 1 in 5,478 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
94.8% confidence
Average Age
68
years old
Peak Year
1928
3,311 births
Total Registered
133,809
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Gene
Gene is predominantly male (94.8%), though 6,997 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Gene as a male name
Ranked #1,905 in 2024
83 male births in 2024
Peak: 1937 (3,165 births)
Gene as a female name
Ranked #16,048 in 2024
5 female births in 2024
Peak: 1925 (374 births)
Gene: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Gene span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 30,250 babies were registered. Gene has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Gene by Decade
How has Gene tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 169 | 129 | 40 | |
| 1890s | 359 | 219 | 140 | |
| 1900s | 815 | 554 | 261 | |
| 1910s | 4,930 | 3,870 | 1,060 | |
| 1920s | 19,936 | 17,579 | 2,357 | |
| 1930s | 30,250 | 29,312 | 938 | |
| 1940s | 28,751 | 27,740 | 1,011 | |
| 1950s | 20,261 | 19,695 | 566 | |
| 1960s | 13,935 | 13,700 | 235 | |
| 1970s | 6,404 | 6,233 | 171 | |
| 1980s | 3,726 | 3,621 | 105 | |
| 1990s | 2,119 | 2,058 | 61 | |
| 2000s | 1,020 | 999 | 21 | |
| 2010s | 720 | 694 | 26 | |
| 2020s | 414 | 409 | 5 | |
Gene by State
Birth registrations for Gene span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Rhode Island, Nevada. On average, about 2,461 Genes were registered per state.
Gene + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Gene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Gene
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
Gene: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gene?
We estimate approximately 62,564 people named Gene are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 5,478 Americans share this first name.
Is Gene a common name?
Gene is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 133,809 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Gene most popular?
Gene reached peak popularity in 1928, when 3,311 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Gene is approximately 68 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Gene a male name?
Gene is predominantly male. 94.8% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Gene Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Gene Smith, Gene Johnson, Gene Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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