Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (eugenēs), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (eu), "well" and γένος (genos), "race, stock, kin". 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 of Eugene / Eugine. Other male foreign-language variants include:
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.
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 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