eugene

Eugene is a masculine given name of Greek origin. It derives from the Classical Greek Eugenēs, from eu- meaning "good" or "well" and genēs meaning "born," together often translated as "well-born" or "noble." The name was Latinized as Eugenius and later entered English through Old French and Latin forms.

In English, Eugene has long been used but has seen varying popularity across regions and eras. It has several cognates and variants, including Eugenio in Italian and Spanish, Eugène in French, and Eugen in German; feminine forms include Eugenia and Eugenie. The name is also found in Russian as Yevgeny and in other Slavic languages as Evgeniy.

Notable people named Eugene include: Eugene Debs (1855–1926), American socialist leader; Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953), American playwright; Eugene Cernan (1934–2017), American astronaut; Eugene Levy (born 1946), Canadian actor; Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994), Romanian-French playwright; Pope Eugene I (ruled in the 7th century).

Places named Eugene include Eugene, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County; the city is named after pioneer Eugene Skinner. The name also appears in other place names and is used for towns and geographic features, especially in the United States.