Garnet
Feminine · “the gemstone”
Garnet is given to both — 6,913 girls and 2,010 boys since 1880. See Garnet as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Garnet crystals are small, round and deep red, packed in their rock the way seeds are packed in a pomegranate, and that is exactly where the word comes from: pomum granatum, the seeded apple. The grenade is named for the same fruit, for the same reason.
How old is the name Garnet?
Garnet first appears in US birth records in 1884 — 141 years ago. The typical Garnet alive today was born around 1924, making them about 101 years old. About 1,700 people named Garnet are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Garnet most popular?
Garnet peaked in 1911, reaching #377 nationally. Today it ranks #10917, 10,540 places below that high. See the whole 1911 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From granatum to Garnet
The story of Garnet
Gem names became women's names in one clear wave: Ruby, Pearl, Opal, Beryl, Jade, Garnet, all arriving in English-speaking countries at roughly the same time and nearly all going to girls. Garnet is the exception in that group, and the reason is that it was already a surname. Garnet and Garnett were English family names before they were anybody's first name, and surnames in America go to boys as readily as to girls, so the gem pulled one way and the surname pulled the other. The result is a name that has never fully settled on either side of the line — it leans to girls, but not far enough that anyone should assume.
Meaning
the gemstone, named for the pomegranate
Through Old French grenat from Latin granatum, seeded, in the phrase pomum granatum, pomegranate. The stone was named for the resemblance. Grenade came the same way, from the fruit's shape and its habit of scattering; so did the city of Granada, by a different and disputed route.
How the name formed
- granatum
- grenat
- garnet
- Garnet
Related forms: Grenat
Pronouncing Garnet
GAR-net
Two syllables, stress on the first, exactly like the stone. gar-NET, with the French stress, is occasionally used and is closer to the original grenat.
Nicknames for Garnet
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1884
- Most girls named
- 1917232 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #377reached in 1911
- Change vs 2022
- −27.3%8 in 2025, from 11
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Garnet in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Grenat in French — related form
Garnets among us
people named Garnet are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 200,908 born in 2025 was named Garnet
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Garnet sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Garnet beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Garnet in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented etymology that runs from a fruit to a gem to a weapon, all verifiable.
- It genuinely serves either child, which very few gem names do.
- Two syllables, spelled as an ordinary English word, so nothing has to be explained.
- It leans to girls without settling, so a form will guess and will often guess wrong — that cuts both ways, and the boys feel it more.
- It is a common noun and a birthstone, so the associations are fixed and not entirely yours.
- It is strongly represented among the oldest generations and reads as of their time.
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Garnet
Feminine · #10917 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Garnets are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Garnet are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Garnet in 2025?
- Garnet ranks #10917 among US girl names in 2025, with 8 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Garnet?
- About 1 in every 200,908 US girls born in 2025 was named Garnet — 8 in all.
- Will my child share the name Garnet with classmates?
- Garnet will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Garnet
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Edythe#10917 · Tessie#10917 · Drusilla#10917 · Eugenie#10917 · Ivah#10917 · Karri#10917 · Claribel#10917 · Myrtle#10917
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Garnet? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Garnet and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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