Onyx
Meaning
gemstone name, from Greek onyx meaning 'claw, fingernail'
The story
Onyx is the black gemstone with the least glamorous etymology in the case: the Greek onyx means claw or fingernail, the ancients seeing in the stone's banded sheen the look of a nail's lunula. American families see something else, and lately in volume: about 440 in the 2000s, 1,900 in the 2010s, and already 6,000 so far this decade, more than triple the full 2010s, one of the sharpest live surges in these batches. It cuts the same dark facets as Jett, the gem-and-speed register, and shares more generously: about 1,000 girls to 5,000 boys this decade. In our records the all-time split runs about 6,800 boys to 1,800 girls. A stone, a claw, and an X to land on: Onyx offers three kinds of edge in four letters, and the record shows families sharpening.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Onyx peaked in the 2020s.
When you meet Onyx
Most people given the name Onyx in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Onyx deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Onyx truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Onyx fits with your family’s names and surname.
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