Genevieve
Feminine · “Not settled”
Genevieve is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 125,131 girls against 151 boys since 1880.
Genevieve reaches English through French Geneviève, and behind that stands Genovefa, the name of the woman who became patron saint of Paris in the fifth century. It has been written, sung and shortened for some fifteen hundred years, and it still arrives in American kindergartens — familiar to nearly everyone, yet rarely doubled up in one classroom. Four syllables that end on a long, soft -eve.
How old is the name Genevieve?
Genevieve was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Genevieve alive today was born around 1933, making them about 92 years old. About 58,500 people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Genevieve most popular?
Genevieve peaked in 1914, reaching #76 nationally. Today it ranks #148, 72 places below that high. See the whole 1914 chart.
Genevieve appears on these lists:
- One-decade wonders
- Long and elegant: names with room to breathe
- The sweet spot: familiar but not everywhere
- Nine-letter names, the long end of the chart
- Names with only one spelling
- Saint names in modern use
- all guides
Works in French families too:
Where it comes from
From Genovefa to Genevieve
The story of Genevieve
The name enters the record as Genovefa, borne by Genevieve of Paris, the fifth-century woman credited with rallying the city as Attila's forces approached — she became its patron saint, and her cult kept the name alive in France through the Middle Ages. French speakers wore it down to Geneviève, and Norman French carried it across the Channel, where English speakers dropped the accents and settled on Genevieve. It took hold again in the English-speaking world during the nineteenth century, alongside a broader taste for French and medieval names. Today it travels far beyond Europe: the Nigerian actress and director Genevieve Nnaji is one of Nollywood's best-known figures.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not settled — the leading readings point to Gaulish words for kin or tribe
The Latin form Genovefa is well documented from the fifth century onward, but its etymology is not. One line of scholarship reads the first part as a Gaulish element meaning 'kin, people, tribe'; another proposes a Germanic origin along the lines of Kunowefa, with 'woman' or 'wife' as the second element. Neither has won. The name is much better attested than its meaning.
Cultural footprint
Genevieve of Paris (b. 423) — Patron saint of Paris who rallied the city against Attila the Hun
Genevieve Nnaji (b. 1979) — Nollywood superstar and director
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- Genovefa
- Geneviève
- Genevieve
Related forms: Geneviève · Genovefa · Genoveva · Genoveffa · Genoveva · Genowefa
Pronouncing Genevieve
JEN-uh-veev
That is the settled English pronunciation. The French Geneviève is zhuhn-vee-EV, and some families use it; both are correct for their own language, so it is worth deciding which one you will offer when people ask.
Nicknames for Genevieve
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19183,304 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #76reached in 1914
- Change vs 2022
- +13.3%1,981 in 2025, from 1,748
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Genevieve in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Geneviève in French — same name
- Genovefa in Latin — same name
- Genoveva in Spanish — same name
- Genoveffa in Italian — same name
- Genoveva in German — same name
- Genowefa in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Genevieves among us
people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 811 born in 2025 was named Genevieve
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Genevieve peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Genevieve is headed
Genevieve should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Genevieve beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Genevieve in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented record stretching back to late antiquity, with a continuous line from Latin Genovefa through French Geneviève.
- Recognizable in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Polish, each with its own established form of the same name.
- An unusually generous set of established short forms — Evie, Viv, Gen, Neve — so the child has real choices later.
- One standard English spelling that most people already know, without the accents the French form requires.
- The spelling is known but not automatic: Genevive and Genivieve turn up, and Guinevere — a separate Welsh name entirely — gets confused with it. Expect to spell it aloud sometimes.
- Two pronunciations circulate, English JEN-uh-veev and French zhuhn-vee-EV, and both are legitimate. Families usually pick one early and repeat it.
- Four syllables is a lot to pair with a long surname, though the short forms take the weight off in daily use.
- It is still strongly represented among the oldest generations, so it can read as a family or heirloom name to some ears — which for many parents is the point.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Genevieve to the vote.
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What they receive
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Genevieve
Feminine · #148 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Genevieves are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 58,500 people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Genevieve in 2025?
- Genevieve ranks #148 among US girl names in 2025, with 1,981 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Genevieve?
- About 1 in every 811 US girls born in 2025 was named Genevieve — 1,981 in all.
- Will my child share the name Genevieve with classmates?
- Genevieve will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Genevieve
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kehlani#148 · Evangeline#147 · Aubrey#146 · June#150 · Summer#151 · Remi#145 · Samantha#151 · Natalia#144
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Genevieve? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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