These Names are Gems

These names are gems – literally!  Gem-names enjoy mostly feminine usage, but they’re increasingly unisex or even masculine.  Let’s take a look at how popular these baby names were in 2016, according to Social Security Administration data!

Gems:

• Amber – Current rank: #374 and falling.  Amber‘s current stint in the top 1000 started after the publication of Forever Amber.  From what I understand, that book is the World War II generation’s 50 Shades of Gray.
  
• Amethyst – 159 girls in 2016, up from 125 in 2015. 
• Coral – 199 girls, down from 201.
• Diamond – 226 girls, down from 262; 33 boys, down from 35.
  
• Emerald – 219 girls, up from 194; 13 boys, up from 6.  A couple weeks ago, I watched the original Twin Peaks and got a kick out of the names from the fictional soap opera within.  “Invitation to Love” has twin characters named Emerald and Jade.
  
• Garnet – 15 girls, up from 7; 6 boys (reentry).  A couple years ago I was reading something in the paper about a local family, and one of their young sons was named Garnet.  Garnet was a mildly popular girls’ name in the early 20th century, though it’s almost always enjoyed use amidst both genders.
  
• Heliodor / Heliodore – Golden beryl.  Although Heliodore is unrecorded in the SSA data, Heliodoro is.
  
• Jacinth – Not currently in use, but there are male and female Jacinths.
  
• Jade – #117, up from #126.  Even though Madison and Ashley were supposedly way more popular than Jade when I was growing up, I feel like Jade was more popular locally.  I knew several. 
  
• Jasper – #209 and still rising.  Jasper‘s never been out of the top 1000, though the Twilight series gave him a boost. 
• Obsidian – As far as I can tell, Obsidian has only charted once in the SSA stats (5 boys were given the name in 2013).  I’m really surprised it isn’t a more popular baby name…it sounds so cool!
  
• Onyx – Increasingly popular unisex gem name!  Onyx was given to 172 boys and 56 girls in 2016, up from 118 boys and 38 girls in 2015.  I personally wonder if we’re going to see this in the top 1000 in 2017 or 2018; for a boys’ name to rank, it currently needs at least 202 boys to rank.  Onyx isn’t far off that mark!
  
• Opal – 256 girls, up from 231.  Do you think this will return to the top 1000 in 2017?  The current usage threshold for girls’ names is in the 260-270 range.
  
• Pearl – #567, up from #627.  Pearl was relatively popular for both genders at the advent of the 20th century, but especially for girls.  There was a male writer called Zane Grey (1872-1939) whose first name was Pearl.
  
• Ruby – #71, and the most popular gem name.  Ruby hasn’t been this popular since World War II!
  
• Sapphire – 165, up from 147.
  

  

• Topaz – 6 girls (reentry).  Topaz is the name of the stepmom in I Capture the Castle, so there’s some literary prestige here!
  
• Turquoise – Not currently in use; most of the women named Turquoise were born in the late 70s or in the 80s.  

Names with gem meanings or associations:

• Beryl – 9 girls (stable).  Beryl is a mineral: emeralds, aquamarine, and heliodor are all considered beryls.  As far as namesakes go, I think of the early aviatrix Beryl Markham, who wrote West with the Night. 
• Crystal – #572, down from #554.  Crystal hit the U.S. top 10 in 1982, but it’s been downwards ever since.
  
• Esmeralda – #377, down from #370; Spanish for “emerald.”  Esmeralda spiked in the two years after Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame came out.
  
• Gem – 14 girls, up from 8.
  
• Giada – 178 girls, down from 203.  Italian for “Jade”
• Gemma – #247 and rising.  Italian name meaning “gem.”  Growing up, I actually knew a Gemma.  She was born a good while before her name ever cracked the top 1000.
  
• Jewel – #924, down from #886.
  
• Margaret – #139 and rising.  A classic English name deriving from a Greek name that means “pearl.”  I can’t tell you how happy I am that Margaret is making a comeback!
  
• Sapphira – 50 girls, up from 45.  Greek name, Biblical character.
  

Gems that aren’t already names but probably should be:

• Agate – I could see this as a nickname for Agatha.
  
• Aquamarine – Aqua is a spunky nickname, though it may lead to spontaneous a capella renditions of “Barbie Girl.”  For more subdued nicknames, try Marie or Marina.
  
• Chrysocolla – might be a little unwieldy without a nickname.  “Chris?”
  
• Lapis – from Lapis Lazuli
  
• Peridot – Perry or Dot for short?  Dottie?
  
• Quartz – I’m surprised that I can’t find this in the SSA stats.  Quartz would work especially well as a boys’ name. 
  
• Tourmaline
  
• Zircon / Zirconia – I’m not sure how I’d feel if I were named after a synthetic gem stone, but Zirconia sounds kind of pretty and Zircon sounds cool. 

One last note – If you like the idea of a timely, seasonal name, look to the birthstones!  Most of these work better for girls, but there are plenty of gem-names that can go either way. 

1. January – Garnet
2. February – Amethyst
3. March – Aquamarine / Bloodstone.  Jasper also used to be a March stone.
   
4. April – Diamond
5. May – Emerald
6. June – Pearl / Moonstone / Alexandrite
   
7. July – Ruby
8. August – Peridot / Spinel
   
9. September – Sapphire
10. October – Opal / Tourmaline
11. November – Topaz / Citrine
    
12. December – Turquoise / Zircon / Tanzanite
    

What is your favorite gem name?