Eugene

Eugene meaning

Eugene is a Christian boy's name of Greek origin.

Well-born, noble; also noble-minded, generous

Eugene comes from Greek Eugenios, built on eugenes, 'well-born'. LSJ gives the word first as 'of noble descent', then 'noble-minded, generous', and of animals and plants 'of a good breed'. It joins eu, 'well', with genos, 'birth'. Several early saints and four popes bore the name, and it passed into French as Eugène. In India Eugene is used by Catholic families in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Mangalore, and Kerala parents sometimes write it Eugin.

Source: Liddell, Scott & Jones, A Greek–English Lexicon (9th ed., 1940), via Logeion, s.v. εὐγενής · entry εὐγενής · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: LSJ, εὐγενής (via Logeion)

Popularity abroad

• #943 United States, boys 2025 (down 68 from 875 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Eugene · Eugin · Eugen

Related names

Browse more like this