We’re very familiar with gemstone baby names names like Ruby, Opal and Jade. But you probably haven’t met anyone (yet) with one of the following names:
- Citrine: Citrine debuted in the SSA data in 2019. Citrine is an orange-y variety of quartz. It’s one of the birthstones for November.
- Kyanite: Kyanite debuted in 2019 as well. Kyanite is typically blue, and its name is related to the color word “cyan.”
- Malachite: Malachite debuted in 2017. Malachite is a green-banded mineral. Its name refers to the leaves of the mallow plant.
- Lazuli: Lazuli, part of the rock name lapis lazuli (which translates to “stone of azure”), debuted in 2016.
These newbies join the many gem-names — Amethyst, Angelite, Beryl, Celestine, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Jasper, Larimar, Obsidian, Olivine, Onyx, Sapphire, Topaz, Turquoise, etc. — that have previously appeared in the SSA data. (Not to mention the rock names Coal, Flint, Granite, Shale, and Slate.)
I’m sure Citrine and Kyanite won’t be the last of the names in this category to emerge in the data, though, because there are just so many other nicely-named minerals and rocks out there. Some examples…
- Agate: a banded, colored quartz with a name that happens to look and sound similar to Agatha.
- Alexandrite: a color-changing variety of chrysoberyl named after Alexander II of Russia. It’s one of the birthstones for June.
- Ametrine: a type of quartz with zones of purple and yellow/orange; a mix of amethyst and citrine.
- Carnelian: a red variety of quartz. Its name can be traced back to the Latin word conus, the name of a type of berry.
- Peridot: a green gemstone with a name of unknown origin. It’s the birthstone for August.
- Selenite: a type of gypsum. Its name comes from the ancient Greek word for “moon,” selene. (If you’ve ever watched metaphysical content on YouTube, you’ve probably seen a selenite wand before…)
- Tourmaline: a gem that comes in a wide variety of colors. It’s one of the birthstones for October.
Which gem/mineral/rock name do you think we’ll spot next in the U.S. baby name data?
Image: Kyanite by Elade53
My son was reading over my shoulder and came up with:
Osmium or Ozzie for short (LOL)
Osmium (from Greek ???? osme, “smell”) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mostly in platinum ores.
I love gem stone names! So happy to see Lazuli getting more attention, as lapis lazuli is one of my most favourite gem stones and the name is cute. Oh and Malachite too!
I’ve been thinking lately that it’s a pity that despite Olivia is so popular, Olivine is still a rarity, especially that the stone itself is so beautiful. I’d be happy to see Jacinth/Hyacinth climb up but don’t know how realistic it actually is to happen, I just find both the stone and the name adorable.
@Christa – He came up with that off the top of his head? Wow he’s smarter than I am. I bet a lot of people would actually like the idea of “Osmium” as a name — it’s like a smoosh of Osmund and Miriam.
@EirlysGwenllian – That’s a good point about Olivine being overlooked, despite the popularity of Olivia. And Jacinth is even rarer than that. Makes me wonder if most people just haven’t heard of these stones before…?
This is the kid who in fifth grade got into an argument with his teacher in science. She said the Wicked witch of the West melted (I’m assuming it was science related lol) and Jayden chimed in with a resounding nope. She sublimated. *jaw drop* I had to get my dictionary as he was miffed I didn’t know the word either lol Mamma, it just means she turned into steam. I suppose I could say it’s the autism, he is such an outside the box thinker, and has a massive mind for information (that may or may not be useless in the scheme of things – Like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes lol) On stuff like this he outsmarts me. On figuring out how to fold sock…ugh! haha
Haha, what a great story. He must have had a huge vocabulary at a young age. :)
Jayden watched A LOT of Mythbusters, and other shows like that. I was so exhausted with him having ADHD, we’d snuggle in the recliner and I’d doze while he’d watch the shows. Giving me much needed rest and entertainment for him. This is also the kid at 19 who can’t tie his shoes. I forget what it’s called when you can’t do that, but I can’t knit or crochet because of it. I can’t see the patterns in my head as I try to do it. Thankfully they make velcro for adults LOLOL