Genesis
Meaning of Genesis
Genesis comes from the Greek word for origin, birth or beginning, which passed into Latin and then into English, and it is the title of the first book of the Bible. Name dictionaries agree on this derivation: the name is the word itself, taken up as a given name rather than formed from an older personal name. It is given mainly to girls in the United States.
It is pronounced JEN-uh-sis, with the stress on the first syllable, the same in American and British English.
Its best-known association is the Book of Genesis, with its accounts of creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah. The British rock band Genesis, formed in 1967, is the other familiar use of the word. Among people who bear the name, Genesis Owusu, the Ghanaian Australian rapper whose debut album Smiling with No Teeth won four ARIA Awards in 2021, is prominent, as is Genesis Potini, a New Zealand speed chess player.
The name appeared in the United States in small numbers in the 1960s and climbed steeply from about 1990, when it ranked 589th. It reached 95th by 2008 and has stayed high since, ranking 55th in 2013 and again in 2024. In 2025 it was given to 3,527 girls and stood at 66th.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as JEN-uh-sis (/ˈdʒənəsɪs/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Genesis
| Genesis Owusu, a Ghanaian Australian rapper from Canberra and younger brother of Citizen Kay, saw his debut album Smiling with No Teeth reach the ARIA top 30 and win four 2021 ARIA Music Awards. |
| Genesis Wayne Potini was a speed chess player from New Zealand. |
| Génesis Rodríguez - Genesis Lourdes Rodriguez Gomez is a Venezuelan weightlifter in the 53 kg class who represents Venezuela in international competitions. |
