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Genevieve Name Meaning, Origins & History

Genevieve

Pronunciation: JEN-uh-veev

Meaning Possibly White wave Origin French Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#148
TREND
17
Peak Years
1918, 1920, 1921
Lowest Years
1881, 1880, 1882
Energy Archetype
Reflective & Analytical

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Genevieve in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Genevieve

  • More than 125 thousand babies named Genevieve: U.S. records list 125,251 babies given the name Genevieve from 1880 through 2025. Even 151 boys received the name Genevieve - about 1 boy for every 828 girls.

What Does the Name Genevieve Mean?

Genevieve is the English form of the French Geneviève, which comes down from the Latin Genovefa, a name recorded in Gaul in late antiquity. Genovefa looks like a two-part Germanic compound: *kunja- (kin, family, lineage) plus *wībą (woman, wife), which would give the sense "woman of the family" or "woman of the kin." Some scholars instead take the first element from a Celtic word for family or clan - the same root seen in Old Irish gein, "birth" - while keeping the second element, so the overall sense is much the same. Because the first part of the name is not recorded standing on its own, no single translation is certain; both explanations describe a woman in relation to her family or people, not a quality such as beauty or light. The similar-looking Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (the source of Guinevere) is a different name, and the gloss "white wave" that is sometimes attached to Genevieve belongs to that name rather than to this one.

Genevieve Name History & Origins

The name spread with the fame of Saint Genevieve (French Geneviève, c. 422 - c. 502), a nun from Nanterre near Paris. Her Latin life relates that she urged the Parisians to pray and do penance when Attila's army advanced into Gaul in 451, and that the city was passed by; she is also said to have brought grain to a besieged Paris and to have been consulted by Clovis, king of the Franks. She became the patron saint of Paris, and her feast on January 3 was long observed there. Churches, convents, and schools were named for her, among them the abbey of Sainte-Geneviève, whose 18th-century church building was later turned into the Panthéon.

Because the saint's cult was strong in France and in other Catholic regions, the name took local forms: Italian Genoveffa, Spanish and Portuguese Genoveva, Polish Genowefa, and German Genoveva. A separate medieval legend told of Geneviève of Brabant, a falsely accused wife who lived in exile in the forest before being vindicated; the story was retold in early modern chapbooks and later in plays and in Robert Schumann's opera Genoveva (1850). In English the French form is used with the accent dropped, and it appears in the 19th-century song "Sweet Genevieve" and as the title of a British film of 1953.

How Popular is the Name Genevieve?

Genevieve recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1918. The name enjoyed early prominence in the late 19th century before its sustained modern rise.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Famous People Named Genevieve

Genevieve Padalecki
Genevieve Padalecki

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How the Name Genevieve Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are introspective, prophetic, philosophical, and soul searching, but also can be analytical, critical and opinionated. You think deeply and clearly, have an air of mystery, can be solitary and secretive. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.

✦ Genevieve's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Genevieve's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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