girl's name
Genesis
JEN-uh-sis
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 98,626
the United States
#66
2025 births
Genesis is a name taken from the Greek word genesis, meaning "origin" or "beginning." It is the title given to the first book of the Bible in the Greek Septuagint translation, and the Hebrew name for the same book is simply its opening word, Bereshit.
- Genesis is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 4,450 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 902 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1964.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Genesis over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 12 |
| 1970s | 353 |
| 1980s | 1,288 |
| 1990s | 9,094 |
| 2000s | 22,070 |
| 2010s | 41,646 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 22,781 |
What Genesis means
Genesis means origin, birth, or beginning, from a Greek root concerning coming into being. The same root gives English generate, genetic, genus and gene, all concerned with origin and descent.
Where Genesis comes from
Genesis comes from the Greek genesis, meaning origin or creation, from a root meaning to come into being. It became the name of the Bible's first book through the Septuagint, the Greek translation made in Alexandria from the third century BC, which titled books by their subject; Hebrew tradition instead names the book Bereshit, "in the beginning," after its first word. The English word entered general use meaning any origin or starting point. As a given name Genesis is recent and largely American, part of a broader adoption of scriptural and conceptual words as names, and unusually it is given predominantly to girls despite having no grammatical gender in Greek.
How popular is Genesis?
In 2025, Genesis was given to 3,676 babies in the United States, ranking #66 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Genesis is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Genesis is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Génésis | Génésis is a rare spelling of Genesis, written with an acute accent and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Genesis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Genesis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Genesis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
5 nicknames for Genesis
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Genesis in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Genesys
Sibling names for Genesis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Genesis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Genesis
What does the name Genesis mean?
Genesis means "origin" or "beginning," from the Greek.
Is Genesis a biblical name?
It is the Greek title of the Bible's first book, though no person in scripture bears the name.
Is Genesis a girl's name?
In American use it is given predominantly to girls, though the Greek word has no gender.
How popular is the name Genesis?
In 2025, Genesis was given to 3,676 babies in the United States, ranking #66 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Genesis?
Genesis has 3 syllables.
When was Genesis most popular?
Genesis peaked in 2016, when 4,450 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Genesis?
Genesis is usually shortened to Gen, Genny, Ness, Gene and Nessie.
Is Genesis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Genesis currently ranks #66 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.