Jewel
Jewel was the 1514th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 141 babies. Its best year was 1904, when it ranked 198th; the most babies were born in 1920 (826). Over the last ten years it has moved down 633 places. More babies were named Jewel in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning jewel, gemstone · English, French
Say it JOO-ul /ˈdʒuəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,514 girls, down 502 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 141girls
- Girls and boys
- 95% girls, 5% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1920826 babies
- Total since 1880
- 46,728babies recorded
What does the name Jewel mean?
Jewel is an English word name, used for girls since the end of the 19th century, when gem names were in fashion. The word came from Old French jouel, ultimately from Latin jocus, "joke, play", with an early sense of "plaything, delight". Wikipedia notes that some bearers instead carry the surname Jewel or Jewell, from a Breton personal name. In the US it was most common around 1900 and again became familiar through the singer Jewel in the late 1990s.
jouel (Old French, “jewel; plaything, delight”)jocus (Latin, “joke, play”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jewel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Jewel (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Jewel popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,514 | #8,547 | 141 | 9 |
| 2020 | #1,012 | #6,125 | 249 | 14 |
| 2010 | #922 | #8,430 | 282 | 9 |
| 2000 | #604 | #4,904 | 419 | 15 |
| 1990 | #1,172 | #3,524 | 147 | 17 |
| 1980 | #1,199 | #2,785 | 110 | 17 |
| 1970 | #1,031 | #1,821 | 120 | 24 |
| 1960 | #677 | #1,568 | 226 | 27 |
| 1950 | #471 | #1,068 | 296 | 44 |
| 1940 | #367 | #762 | 322 | 66 |
| 1930 | #232 | #569 | 688 | 111 |
| 1920 | #228 | #531 | 826 | 133 |
| 1910 | #202 | #609 | 318 | 23 |
| 1900 | #255 | #500 | 162 | 22 |
| 1890 | #453 | — | 33 | — |
| 1880 | #878 | #989 | 5 | 5 |
How popular is Jewel, counting every spelling?
Jewel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,313 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,514 for Jewel on its own. Together these spellings went to 155 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewel | 141 | #1,514 | 909 |
| Jewell | 14 | #7,651 | 77 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jewel?
141 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jewel (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jewel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 59 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jewel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jewel?
About 18,900 people born in the US named Jewel are alive today, with a median age of 34; half are between 18 and 69. That makes Jewel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jewel by state
How common Jewel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (3.7×), Georgia (2.7×), Tennessee (2.3×), Michigan (2.2×), Missouri (1.9×). In 29 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jewel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jewel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jewel · Sibling names for Jewel
Questions about the name Jewel
What does Jewel mean?
Jewel means “jewel, gemstone” (English, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jewel?
Jewel was the 1514th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 141 babies. Its best year was 1904, when it ranked 198th; the most babies were born in 1920 (826). Over the last ten years it has moved down 633 places. More babies were named Jewel in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Jewel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 95% girls, 5% boys given the name Jewel in the US.
Where is Jewel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jewel was most common in Louisiana (0.41 per 1,000 girls), followed by Georgia and Tennessee.