Geneva is a unique and elegant female name of Swiss origin. It means "land by the lake" in Italian, referring to Lake Geneva, which lies between Switzerland and France. The name has been used historically as both a given name and a surname.
The city of Geneva, Switzerland is named after the river that flows through it, which was called "Genava" by the Romans. The river's name may have originated from the Celtic word "genuo," meaning "bend" or "knee," possibly referring to a bend in the river's course.
While not particularly popular today, Geneva has been used as a given name throughout history. It gained some popularity during the Victorian era in England and was also used by American author Louisa May Alcott for one of her characters in Little Women.
Overall, Geneva is an uncommon yet beautiful name with a rich historical background and a unique connection to a famous city and lake.
The given statistics illustrate the fluctuations in the number of births with the name Geneva over a period of nearly 140 years in the United States.
From 1880 to around the turn of the century, the number of girls named Geneva fluctuated between approximately 35 and 260 births per year. This suggests that during this time, the name was relatively uncommon but not entirely unheard of.
However, from around 1907 onwards, there was a significant increase in the popularity of the name Geneva. In 1914, for example, there were over 1300 births with this name, and by 1920, that number had risen to nearly 2500. This trend continued throughout the 1920s, reaching a peak of almost 2600 births in 1924.
After the mid-1920s, however, there was a noticeable decline in the popularity of the name Geneva. Between 1930 and 1950, the number of births with this name hovered between around 700 to just over 800 per year. This trend continued throughout most of the second half of the century.
From the late 1960s onwards, there was a further decline in the popularity of the name Geneva. By the 1970s and 1980s, fewer than 300 girls were named Geneva each year on average. This trend continued into the early 21st century, with only around 150 to 200 births per year recorded between 2000 and 2020.
In conclusion, while the name Geneva was once popular in the United States, it has since fallen out of favor and is now relatively uncommon. Despite this decline, there remains a consistent number of girls named Geneva each year, indicating that the name still has some enduring appeal.