Fortunately, there are plenty of nicknames for Genevieve.
Perhaps the most obvious nicknames are condensed versions of the name itself so Gen (Jen) and Vieve, leading to Genny (Genni/Jenny) and Vievee often written as Vivi.
But when we asked our Baby Namers community, many more creative options emerged!
Nicknames for real life Genevieves based around the letter ‘G’ and the ‘Gee’ sound include: Ginny, Gene, Gena, Genna, Gina, Ginette, and Gevie.
Then there are lots of nicknames centred around the ‘E’ and ‘V’ sounds: Eve, Evie, V, Vi and Veva.
And a few that make the most of the ‘N’: Neve, Nene, and Nevi.
We also had one family share the sweet ‘Genny-Bear’ and, perhaps my favourite of all, the magical ‘Genie’!
A real-life Genevieve, now in her 30s, shared that because of the French origin of her beautiful name, schoolfriends nicknamed her ‘Frenchie’! Happily, she told us that because Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris and it was said with love, she loved her nickname!
So, as you can see, the beautifully classic name Genevieve has a number of nicknames, all just as lovely as the name itself.
Which is your favourite?
Any we have missed?
Let us know at lucy@namebabyname.com. We read and respond to every message.
Popularity of the name Genevieve
US
Genevieve first appeared on the list of top 1000 names for girls in the late 19th century and its popularity peaked in the early 20th century. It remained in the top 1000 list until the 1960s.
It peaked as the 76th most popular name for girls in 1916. Since then it decreased in popularity until the 1980s. It has been getting increasingly popular of late.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Genevieve | 1778 (182) | 1732 (188) | 1665 (183) | 1711 (171) | 1720 (168) | 1705 (169) | 1834 (155) | 1737 (165) |
More details about the name Genevieve including meaning, origin and popularity
Pronunciation: JEN-ah-veev or Zjhen-ah-veev
Number of syllables: Three
Gender: Female
Origin: French / German
Meaning: This elegant and versatile French name was derived from the German geno (‘people’ or ‘race’) and vefa (woman) meaning ‘lady of the people’ or womankind. It was popular among early Christians and Saint Genevieve, who was born in the 4th century, became the protector and patron saint of Paris. Her feast day is celebrated on January 3rd. Genevieve was adopted by English speakers usually without the accent of the French Geneviève in the nineteenth century. A second school of thought says Genevieve is from the Celtic language and means ‘white wave’. This refers to the cresting of a wave.
Notable namesakes – Famous people named Genevieve
- Genevieve Behrend
- Genevieve Angelson
- Genevieve Artadi
Celebrity Fans – Celebrities who named their daughter Genevieve
- Frederik de Groot and Fiona Gaunt named their child Genevieve Wilhemina
- Jimmie Johnson named their child Genevieve Marie
- Jonny Spillane named their child Genevieve
- Kate Upton and Justin Verlander named their child Genevieve known as ‘Vivi’
Songs about Genevieve
- “Genevieve” by The Brilliance
- “Genevieve” by Pierce Brothers
- “Genevieve” by Stealing Sheep
- “Genevieve” by Sugarland
- “Genevieve” by Greyboy, Bart Davenport
- “Genevieve” by (The Whistle Song) The 502s
Middle names for Genevieve
- Catherine
- Ivy
- Hazel
- Isla
- Fleur
- Lynn
- Marie
- Nicole
- Violet
