Given name & surname
Garnet
“resembling the dark-red gem”
Garnet is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the dark-red gem.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “resembling the dark-red gem.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Garnet through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,923
- 2,010 boys · 6,913 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 305 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #11,263 for girls · #11,119 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 33% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,263 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 10.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 258 in 1918. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,762 as a first name in 2020; 455 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Garnet’s family of names
Garnet has a related form in Garnett. Garnet has a related form in Garnette. Garnet has a related form in Granata.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Garnet
- Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount WolseleyAnglo-Irish officer in the British Army (1833-1913)
- Garnet AultCanadian swimmer, Olympic bronze medallist (1905–1993)
- Garnet BaileyCanadian ice hockey player (1948-2001)
- Garnet ExelbyCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1981
- Garnet MalleyAustralian fighter ace of World War I1892–1961
- Garnet HathawayAmerican professional ice hockey playerborn 1991
- Garnett SilkJamaician musician (1966–1994)
- Garnet ClarkAmerican musician1916–1938
- Garnet HughesCanadian general (1880-1937)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Garnet, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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51% boys · 49% girls
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Victory
Victory is a surname.
25% boys · 75% girls
Ossie
“the power of God”
37% boys · 63% girls