Esme, Aggie, Giada, Margot – some gem-inspired names are not as obvious as others but knowing their meanings or which celebrities have chosen them for their kids can be a fun way to connect with customers, especially if they are expecting… Here’s our treasure-trove of the most precious names, from the well-known to the obscure;
Agatha – Meaning good and reminiscent of Agate (which is sometimes used as a boy’s name). The nickname versions can be Aggie, also short for Margaret – but more on that below…
Amber – A steadily popular name for decades, probably as much for the color as it is for the gem.
Beryl – A unisex name that’s more common in Great Britain, where popular novelist Beryl Bainbridge is considered a national treasure.
Coral – Soft and fair, and the prize-winning answer to the trivia-quiz question; name Nemo’s mom…
Esme – A variant of Esmeralda, Spanish for emerald. The name enjoyed a surge of popularity in the ‘50s following the publication of J. D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor. It has another literary namesake in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and Michael J. Fox chose it for his daughter.
Giada – Italian for jade, and gaining in popularity on account of celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, who fittingly named her own daughter Jade, speaking of which…
Jade – Mick and Bianca Jagger also have a daughter named Jade, while Will and Jada Pinkett Smith chose the unisex variant Jaden for their son.
Jet – The black gemstone (newly popularized by TV shows such as Victoria and Downton Abbey) is spelled with one T, but as a name for boys it usually has two. Most notable would be George Lucas’s son Jett, who plays a character named Zett in Revenge of the Sith.
Margaret – DYK it’s Greek for pearl? And all the derivatives including Margo, Maggie, Madge, Marg, Rita (from Margarita) Peggy, (apparently ‘cuz it rhymes with Meggie ) and even Daisy! Why? Because the French variant Marguerite is also the French name for the oxeye daisy, so English-speaking Francophiles often adopt it as a nickname.
Opal – Superstition holds that this name should only be given to girls born in October. If your daughter is expected to arrive in October, we think she’d be lucky to be named Opal.
Pearl – Much like the strung variety, Pearl has gained a tremendous surge in popularity, going from its lowest popularity ranking of 993 in 2007 to a high of 567 at last count. (Check the popularity of your own name or any gemstone name on the Social Security website!)
Ruby – Toby Maguire and Rod Stewart both have daughters named Ruby. (and a quick search found an old Stewart cover of the Stones’ Ruby Tuesday..., don’t you just love the internet?)
Sapphire – The penname of novelist Ramona Lofton, Sapphire can be shortened to Sophie or get an extra syllable for the biblical version Sapphirah. Precious either way.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Crystal, Gemma, Jewel, and Bijoux, and that any of these (and any other name of course) can be engraved on popular keepsake and baby gift items.
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