Jewel
Jewel is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
Precious stone or ornament.
Origin and history
Jewel is a vocabulary name derived from the Old French 'jouel', meaning a precious stone or ornament. It gained popularity in the late 19th century alongside other gemstone names like Ruby and Pearl. In the United States, it has been consistently used for girls over the past century, experiencing a notable resurgence in the late 1990s.
Popularity in the United States
41,485 babies in the United States have been named Jewel since 1880. It ranks #672 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1118.
States where it is most popular
- TX (14.5 %)
- AL (7.7 %)
- GA (6.2 %)
- CA (5.8 %)
- NC (5.5 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 132 |
| 1890-1900 | 660 |
| 1900-1910 | 2,076 |
| 1910-1920 | 5,513 |
| 1920-1930 | 7,779 |
| 1930-1940 | 4,874 |
| 1940-1950 | 3,640 |
| 1950-1960 | 2,665 |
| 1960-1970 | 1,823 |
| 1970-1980 | 1,045 |
| 1980-1990 | 1,246 |
| 1990-2000 | 2,371 |
| 2000-2010 | 3,484 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,019 |
| 2020-2029 | 1,158 |
Famous people named Jewel
- Jewel Kilcher: Singer, Songwriter
- Jewel Staite: Actress
Fun facts
- Jewel arose as a given name during the late 19th-century Victorian trend of using precious gems as feminine names.
- Singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher, known mononymously as Jewel, brought widespread modern awareness to the name in the mid-1990s.