Eugene (given name)

Eugene
	Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the greatest military commanders of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Pronunciation	/juːˈdʒiːn/ yoo-JEEN
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Greek
Meaning	"noble", "well-born"
Region of origin	Greece, Southern Europe
Other names
Nickname(s)	Gene
Related names	Owen, Kevin, Eugenie, Eugenio, Eugênio, Eugine, Yu-jin

Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (eugenēs), "noble", literally "well-born",^[1] from εὖ (eu), "well"^[2] and γένος (genos), "race, stock, kin".^[3] Gene is a common shortened form. The feminine variant is Eugenia or Eugenie.

Egon, a common given name in parts of central and northern Europe, is also a variant^{[citation needed]} of Eugene / Eugine. Other male foreign-language variants include:

Albanian	Eugjen, Eugjeni
Arpitan	Eugêne, Genio
Asturian	Oxenu
Basque	Euken(i)
Belarusian	Jaŭhien (Яўген), Jaŭhienij (Яўгеній), Yauhen (Яўген)
Breton	Ujan
Bulgarian	Евгени (Evgeni)
Catalan	Eugeni
Croatian	Eugen
Czech	Evžen, Eugen
Dutch	Eugeen
Esperanto	Eŭgeno
Estonian	Jevgeni
French	Eugène, Yvain
Galician	Uxío
German	Eugen, Eugine
Greek	Ευγένιος (Eugénios)
Hungarian	Jenő, Eugén
Irish	Eoghan/Eóghan^[4]^[5]
Italian	Eugenio
Japanese	ユージーン (romanized as Yūjīn)
Korean	유진 (romanized as Yujin or Yoojin)
Latin	Eugenius
Latvian	Eižens
Lithuanian	Eugenijus
Macedonian	Евгениј (Evgenij)
Occitan	Eugèni
Piedmontese	Genio
Polish	Eugeniusz (Gienek)
Portuguese	Eugênio (Brazil), Eugénio (Portugal)
Romanian	Eugen, Eugeniu
Russian	Евгений (transliterated as Evgeni, Evgeniy, Evgeny, Evgenii, Evgueni, Eugeny, Eugeniy, Ievgeny, Jevgeni, Jevgeny, Yevgeny, Yevgeni, Yevgeniy, in German often as Jewgenij or Jewgeni)
Scottish Gaelic	Eoghann,^[5] Ewan, Euan
Serbian	Еуген (Eugen), Евгеније (Evgenije)
Sicilian	Eugeniu
Slovak	Eugen
Slovenian	Evgen
Spanish	Eugenio
Swedish	Eugen
Syriac	ܐܘܓܝܢ (Augin)
Ukrainian	Євген (national translit. Yevhen, also occur Ievhen, Yevgen, Ievgen), Євгеній (Yevhenii, also occur Yevgenii, Ievhenii, Ievgenii, Yevheniy, Yevgeniy, Ievheniy), Евген (Evhen), Ївген (Yivhen)
Welsh	Owain,^[4]^[5] Owen,^[4]^[5] Ouein,^[4] Oen,^[4] Ewein,^[4] Ywein/Ywain,^[4] Yuein,^[4]

People

Notable people with the given name Eugene or Eugène include:

Christianity

Eugene or Eugenios of Trebizond, 4th century Christian saint and martyr
St. Eugene, one of the deacons of saint Zenobius of Florence
Eugene (Eoghan) (died c. 618), Irish saint
Pope Eugene I (died 657), Italian pope from 655 to 657
Pope Eugene II (died 827), Italian pope from 824 to 827
Pope Eugene III (died 1153), Italian pope from 1145 to 1153
Pope Eugene IV (1383–1447), Italian pope from 1431 to 1447
Eugène Philippe LaRocque (1927–2018), Roman Catholic bishop from Canada
Eugene Antonio Marino (1934–2000), first African-American archbishop in the United States

Military

Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736), Austrian general, statesman of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian monarchy
Eugène de Beauharnais (1781–1824), stepson and adopted child of Napoleon
Eugene A. Greene (1921–1942), American sailor, posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross
Eugène Maizan (1819–1845), French naval lieutenant and explorer
Eugene Sledge (1923–2001), American World War II Marine and academic
Eugene Sullivan, (1918-1942), American sailor, one of the Sullivan brothers.
Eugene Goodman, (born 1980), American United States Capitol Police officer who diverted invading rioters from the United States Senate chamber during the January 6 Capitol attack. Goodman is a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Iraq War. He served as the Acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from January 20, 2021, to March 2, 2021.

Television and films

Gene L. Coon (1924–1973), American screenwriter and television producer
Eugene Cordero (born 1986), American actor
Eugene Robert Glazer (born 1942), American actor
Gene Hackman (born 1930), American actor
Gene Kelly (1912–1996), American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer, and choreographer
Eugene Levy (born 1946), Canadian actor
Eugene Mirman (born 1974), Russian-born American comedian, writer, and filmmaker
Gene Rayburn (1917-1999), American radio personality and game show host
Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991), American scriptwriter and producer
Eugène Saccomano (1936–2019), French radio journalist and non-fiction author
Gene Siskel (1946–1999), American film critic

Music

Gene Allison (1934–2004), American R&B singer
Gene Austin (1900–1972), American singer-songwriter
Gene Clark (1944–1991), American singer, songwriter, founding member of the band The Byrds
Eugen Doga (born 1937), Moldovan composer
Wendell Eugene (1923–2017), American jazz musician
Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893–1962), English conductor and composer
Eugène Goossens, fils (1867–1958), French conductor and violinist
Eugène Goossens, père (1845–1906), Belgian conductor
Eugene Hütz (born 1972), Ukrainian-American singer, composer, disc jockey and actor, frontman of the band Gogol Bordello
Eugene Izotov (born 1973), Russian-American oboist
Gene Krupa (1909–1973), American jazz and big band drummer
Gene McDaniels (1935–2011), American singer-songwriter
Eugene Ormandy (1899–1985), Hungarian-born conductor
Eugene Pao (fl. 2000s–2010s), Hong Kong jazz guitarist
Eugene Tzigane (fl. 2000s–2020s), Japanese-American conductor
Eugene Wright (1923–2020), American jazz bassist, member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931), Belgian violinist, composer and conductor
Gene Simmons (born 1949), bassist and co-lead singer of rock band Kiss

Literature

Eugene Field (1850–1895), American writer, columnist and children's poet
Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994), Romanian-French playwright and dramatist
Eugène Marin Labiche (1815–1888), French dramatist
Eugène Lanti (1879–1947), French Esperantist, socialist and writer
Eugène Marais (1871–1936), South African writer and poet
Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953), American playwright
Eugène Edine Pottier (1816–1887), French revolutionary socialist, poet, and transport worker
Eugene Trivizas (born 1946), Greek author

Art

Eugène Broerman (1861–1932), Belgian painter
Eugène Boudin (1824–1898), French painter
Eugène Carrière (1849–1906), French symbolist
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), French painter
Eugène Grasset (1845–1917), Swiss decorative artist of the Belle Epoque
Eugène Jansson (1852-1915), Swedish painter
Eugene Lambert (1928–2010), Irish puppeteer
Eugene Pandala (born 1954), Indian architect
Eugene Oliver Palmer (born 1955) Jamaican-born British artist
Evgenios Spatharis (1924–2009), Greek shadow theatre artist
Eugene V. Thaw (1927–2018), American art dealer and collector

Politics

Eugene H. Belden (1840–1910), Michigan politician
Eugene "Geno" Chiarelli (born 1994), West Virginian state delegate
Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926), American socialist
Eugene Reginald de Fonseka (died 2003), puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
Eugene D. Lujan (1887–1980), justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court
Eugene McCarthy (1916–2005), U.S. senator from Minnesota
Eugene McGehee (1929–2014), Louisiana politician
Eugene Mitchell (1866–1944), American lawyer and president of the Atlanta Board of Education
Eugène Paquet (1867–1951), Canadian parliamentarian
Eugene E. Pratt (c. 1892–1970), justice of the Utah Supreme Court
Eugène Ruffy (1854–1919), Swiss politician
Eugene Sawyer (1934–2008), American businessman and politician
Eugène Terre'Blanche (1941–2010), South African right-wing politician and leader of the AWB

Sports

Eugene Laverty (born 1986), Irish professional motorcyclist
Eugene Galekovic (born 1981), Australian goalkeeper
Eugene Sseppuya (born 1983), Ugandan football striker
Eugène Chaboud (1907–1983), Formula One driver from France
Eugène Christophe (1885–1970), French professional cyclist
Eugene Lawrence (born 1986), American professional basketball player
Eugene Selznick (1930–2012), American volleyball player
Eugene Glazer (fencer) (born 1939), American Olympic fencer
Gene Cockrell (1934–2020), American football player
Gene Filipski (1931–1994), American football player
Gene Moore (outfielder) (1909–1978), right fielder in Major League Baseball
Gene Moore (pitcher) (1886–1938), left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
Gene Okerlund (1942–2019), American professional wrestling announcer
Gene Prebola (1938–2021), American football player
Geno Smith (born 1990), American football player
Gene Snitsky (born 1970), American professional wrestler who formerly performed for World Wrestling Entertainment
Gene Upshaw (1945–2008), American football player, labor leader, and former NFL Players Association director

Sciences

Eugène Michel Antoniadi (1870–1944), Greek astronomer
Eugen Bleuler (1857–1939), Swiss psychiatrist who coined the terms schizophrenia and autism
Eugène Charles Catalan (1814–1894), Belgian mathematician
Eugene Cernan (1934–2017), American astronaut, eleventh person to walk on the Moon
Eugene Chelyshev (1921–2020), Russian indologist
Eugene V. Gallagher (born 1950), American religious scholar
Eugene Goodilin (born 1969), Russian material scientist
Eugène Joseph Delporte (1882–1955), Belgian astronomer
Eugene Gu (born 1986), American physician-scientist
Eugene Guth (1905–1990), Hungarian-American theoretical physicist
Eugene Lazowski (1913–2006), Polish doctor who saved 8,000 people by creating a fake typhus epidemic in World War II
Eugene Parker (1927-2022), American solar and plasma physicist, after which the Parker Solar Probe was named
Eugene Merle Shoemaker (1928–1997), American astronomer and geologist
Eugène Schueller (1881–1957), French chemist, entrepreneur and founder of L'Oréal
Eugène Simon (1848–1924), French arachnologist
Eugène Soubeiran (1797–1859), French scientist who served as chief pharmacist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Eugene Stanley (born 1941), American physicist
Eugene Wigner (1902–1995), Hungarian-American theoretical physicist and winner of Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963

Other professions

Eugene Allen (1919–2010), White House butler
Eugene Burger (1939–2017), American magician and author
Gene Gotti (born 1946), Italian-American mobster
Eugene Jarvis (fl. 1970s–2020s), American computer games designer and programmer
Eugene de Kock (born 1949), South African policeman serving a life sentence
Gene Kranz (born 1933), NASA Flight Director
Eugène Minkowski (1885–1972), French psychiatrist
Gene Moore (window dresser) (1910–1998), American designer and window dresser
Eugene Murtagh (born 1942), Irish billionaire businessman, founder of Kingspan Group
Eugene K. Palmer (born 1939) American fugitive
Eugene Skinner (1809–1864), American pioneer, founder of Eugene, Oregon
Eugene Stoner (1922–1997), American firearms designer, who designed M16 rifle
Eugene Tan (born 1970), Singapore political analyst and law lecturer
Eugene Thuraisingam (born 1975), Singaporean criminal lawyer
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879), French architect
Eugene Lee Yang (born 1986), American filmmaker, actor, author, and internet celebrity

Fictional characters

Gene Belcher, a main character in the animated series Bob's Burgers
Eugene Chaud, in Mega Man Battle Network
Eugene Fitzherbert, the male protagonist in Tangled, commonly called 'Flynn Rider'
Eugene "Bling-Bling Boy" Hamilton, antagonist in the animated series Johnny Test
Eugene Horowitz, in Hey Arnold! media
Gene Hunt, in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes
Eugene H. Krabs, in SpongeBob SquarePants media
Eugene Meltsner, in the Adventures in Odyssey series
The title character in Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin also made into an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Eugene (Pokémon) or Eusine, in Pokémon media
Eugene Tackleberry, in Police Academy
Eugene "Flash" Thompson, in the Spider-Man comics
Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch, comic relief in Power Rangers
Eugene Wrayburn, one of the main characters in Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend
Eugene Young, in The Practice
Gene Evernight, also known as Kyrios, antagonist in ArcheAge
Eugene Dix, in Final Destination 2
Eugene Francis, in The Boss Baby
Eugene Choi, a main character in the Korean drama Mr. Sunshine
Gene, a former antagonist on Regular Show
Eugene is an alias under the Halley Labs / LapFox Trax label
Eugene Hofstadt and Eugene “Gene” Draper, Don Draper’s father-in-law and youngest son in Mad Men
Eugene, a character from the 2023 indie-adventure RPG Cassette Beasts

References

^ εὐγενής, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
^ εὖ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
^ γένος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Morgan, T.J. and Morgan, Prys, Welsh Surnames, University of Wales, 1985, Owain (Owen, Bowen, Ednowain). pp.172-173: Owen is a derivation of the Latin Eugenis" > [Old Welsh] Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein ... 'variously written in [Middle Welsh] as Ewein, Owein, Ywein. LL gives the names Euguen, Iguein, Yuein, Ouein. The corresponding form in Irish is Eoghan." Morgan notes that there are less likely alternative explanations and agrees with Dr. Rachel Bromwich that Welsh Owein "is normally latinized as Eugenius", and both the Welsh and Irish forms are Latin derivatives. Additionally, another latinized variations of the name Owen is Audoenus in certain parish registers
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Surnames of the United Kingdom, reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc, Baltimore 1995, 1996. Entry notes that the most likely and widely accepted origin of Owen (Old Welsh Owain, Irish Gaelic Eoghan, and Scottish Gaelic Eoghann) is from Latin Eugenius. "Cormic gives this origin for Eogan (one MS, Eogen); and Zimmer considers Owen to be borrowed from Latin Eugens, as noted by MacBain, p. 400. The mediaeval Latinization of Owen as Oenus led to a belief that the etymology was the Welsh and Breton oen ‘lamb’. With much stronger reason it was at one time considered that the name represented Irish eoghunn = Gael. Ogan – [f.Old Irish oc- Welsh og, young], ‘youth’.

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[1] εὐγενής, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[2] εὖ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[3] γένος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[Welsh_Surnames:Owen-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Morgan, T.J. and Morgan, Prys, Welsh Surnames, University of Wales, 1985, Owain (Owen, Bowen, Ednowain). pp.172-173: Owen is a derivation of the Latin Eugenis" > [Old Welsh] Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein ... 'variously written in [Middle Welsh] as Ewein, Owein, Ywein. LL gives the names Euguen, Iguein, Yuein, Ouein. The corresponding form in Irish is Eoghan." Morgan notes that there are less likely alternative explanations and agrees with Dr. Rachel Bromwich that Welsh Owein "is normally latinized as Eugenius", and both the Welsh and Irish forms are Latin derivatives. Additionally, another latinized variations of the name Owen is Audoenus in certain parish registers

[UK_surnames:Owen-5] Surnames of the United Kingdom, reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc, Baltimore 1995, 1996. Entry notes that the most likely and widely accepted origin of Owen (Old Welsh Owain, Irish Gaelic Eoghan, and Scottish Gaelic Eoghann) is from Latin Eugenius. "Cormic gives this origin for Eogan (one MS, Eogen); and Zimmer considers Owen to be borrowed from Latin Eugens, as noted by MacBain, p. 400. The mediaeval Latinization of Owen as Oenus led to a belief that the etymology was the Welsh and Breton oen ‘lamb’. With much stronger reason it was at one time considered that the name represented Irish eoghunn = Gael. Ogan – [f.Old Irish oc- Welsh og, young], ‘youth’.

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