Girl · #7,094 in 2026

Genova

Genoa is the sixth-largest city in Italy and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria. As of 2025, 565,301 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,629 inhabitants, more than 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera.

Current Rank
#7,094
Peak Rank
#2,899 (1991)
Total Babies
274
5-Yr Trend
+42%
1913
First Year
2026
Last Year
1991
Peak Year
#2899
Peak Rank
274
Total Count
33
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Genova

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Genoa is the sixth-largest city in Italy and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria. As of 2025, 565,301 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,629 inhabitants, more than 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The city's modern name may derive from the Latin word genua ( [ ˈɡe.nu.aː ] ; singular: genu [ ˈɡe.nuː ] ), meaning "knees" (because it was deemed to be on the "knee region" of a " booted leg "). An alternative origin for it is the theonym of Janus , a Roman deity said to have two faces: a fore-turned one and a back-turned one, which was eventually used as a metaphor for the city's two sides (or "faces"): the sea-facing southside and the mountains-facing northside. The Latin word ianua ( [ ˈjaː.nu.a ] ) is yet another proposed source of the name, related to Janus's name and meaning "door" or "
Origin & history
Main article: History of Genoa For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Genoa .

The Story of Genova

Genova first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1913, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 19 Genovas were born — ranking #5,004 that year. As of 2026, Genova ranks #7,094 for baby girls with 15 births, rising sharply (+42% over the past five years). In total, more than 274 Genovas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Genova

Phonetically similar names — useful when Genova is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Genova

What does the name Genova mean?
Genoa is the sixth-largest city in Italy and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria. As of 2025, 565,301 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,629 inhabitants, more than 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera.
How popular is Genova in 2026?
In 2026, Genova ranks #7,094 among girls' names in the U.S., with 15 babies given the name that year.
When was Genova most popular?
Genova reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #2,899 that year with 19 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Genova most popular?
Genova has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Genova.
Is Genova a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Genova is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Genova?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Genova include Louisiana, Zennie, Cellie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Genova

Genova is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 274 births in the dataset. Genova's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #2,899. Use the chart and map above to compare Genova's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.