Meaning and origin
Genesis means “birth” or “origin” in Greek. It is best known as the title of the first book of the Bible, giving the modern name a direct connection with beginnings and creation. The word’s meaning is also familiar in ordinary English when describing how something began.
As a given name, Genesis takes that established word and book title into personal use. It has become especially familiar for girls in the United States, although boys have also received the name.
Its biblical association is unusually immediate. Genesis is the title of a whole book rather than the name of one character within it, so it recalls a broad group of stories and themes.
The biblical book
The Book of Genesis opens with the creation of the world. Its early chapters include Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Noah and the flood, and accounts of the growth of the human family.
The later part turns to Abraham and his descendants. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph belong to this extended family story, which links promises, journeys, relationships, and the development of the people of Israel.
That movement from the world’s beginnings to the history of a particular family is central to the book. The title’s meaning, “origin,” fits both the opening creation account and the ancestral stories that follow it.
For readers familiar with the Bible, Genesis therefore carries associations with the beginning of the world and the opening of a much longer religious narrative.
Pronunciation and related spelling
English Genesis is pronounced JEN-uh-sis, with three syllables and the stress on the first. The opening g has a j sound. The middle syllable is light, and the name finishes with a clear sis sound.
Jenesis is a modern spelling variant that makes the opening sound explicit. Spanish Génesis is a related form, with an accent marking the stress. Genesis itself preserves the standard English spelling of the biblical title and vocabulary word.
Genesis and space exploration
NASA also used Genesis as the name of a mission studying solar-system origins. Launched in August 2001, the spacecraft collected particles from the solar wind for return to Earth.
Its sample capsule returned in 2004. Although a parachute failure caused a hard landing, recovered material still supported scientific study. The mission gives the word another recognizable setting, connecting the idea of origins with research into the materials from which the Sun and planets formed.
Popularity in the United States
Genesis reached its best American rank for girls, number 55, in 2013. Its largest annual count came in 2016, with 4,351 births. It ranked number 66 in 2025.
For boys, its strongest year was 2020, with 279 births and a rank of number 824. It ranked number 1,305 for boys in 2025.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Genesis?
In 2025, Genesis ranked #66 among girls in the United States, with 3,527 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1964; its largest annual count was 4,351 in 2016. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.