Jewel and Gemstone Baby Names

A unisex name from the snowy north.

The discoverer of this lovely bright blue gemstone named it after his daughter Larissa and the sea (mar), hence Larimar. A lovely name which could be a great alternative to Larissa, Lara and other more commonly used Lar- names.

The name of a 7th to 8th century Italian monk who rebuilt the monastery at Monte Cassino. In Italian, he is called Petronace.

Short and snappy with an appealing meaning, Ratna is a Hindi name, derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "jewel" or "treasure". While some English speakers may be put off by the "rat" beginning, in Hindi it would be said more gently, more like rut to rhyme with put.

Ultimately derived from the Persian word for "diamond", Almas is a rich and sparkling choice that also feels totally grounded. Also appearing as Almaz, this spelling is the Arabic, Urdu, and Kazakh form, used as a predominantly feminine choice in Pakistan and as a masculine name in Kazakhstan, Tanzania, Bosnia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.

Zümra is derived from the Turkish word for "emerald," zümrüt and is very popular in Azerbaijan and its native Turkey. The Ü in Zümra is pronounced with a short U sound similar to the ou in words like "should" and "could."

A unisex Chinese and Vietnamese with an appealingly simple, vowel-rich spelling.

A popular unisex Mongolian name with a precious meaning.

Succinct and straightforward with a sparkling meaning, Almaz is a unisex choice, ultimately derived from the Persian almās meaning "diamond". Associated with wealth, power, strength, and beauty, along with the month of April, Almaz is a multicultural name, used predominantly for girls in Azerbaijan and Eastern African, and for boys in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tatarstan.

A Middle Eastern name rarely heard here, but with a certain swashbuckling charm.

Interesting on paper, though most people would confuse it with the word peruse.

Popular unisex choice in Vietnam.

If you want people to appreciate this choice, you're going to have to explain how it's not Neil.

Wonderfully wintry with its snow-related meaning, Aputsiaq is a unisex name from Greenland popularised by "Apoutsiak, le petit flocon de neige", a book by the French ethnologist Paul-Émile Victor. Like most Greenlandic names, it can be used across genders.

An attractive and traditional unisex name perfect for a cross-cultural child. Despite the current popularity of names ending in -ari, Johari is surprisingly rare in the US, though recent years have seen it rise slightly. It comes from the Arabic jawhar via the Persian gohar meaning "jewels, gemstones" making it a sparkly choice, and a relation of Jawhara and Cevahir.

Popular choice in Vietnam, where it is used for both sexes.

Tahiti is famous for its beautiful pearls, which are cultivated and collected from the black lip oyster. While you might think of pearls being white, Tahitian pearls are known as 'black pearls' and come in black, dark green, and grey with undertones of green, pink, silver blue and yellow. Poerava is the native Tahitian name for the pearls and is used as a feminine name.

The lovely Portuguese word for "pearl" (Pérola) was seldom used as a first name even in Brazil and Portugal until it was the name of a character on a popular telenovela "Joia Rara." It is also the name of a town in the south of Brazil, near the Paraguayan border.

An unusual way to get to the nickname Addie.