Onyx

Onyx: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “claw; black gemstone”
Origin: Greek
Say it: OH-niks · 2 syllables
Used for: Both (22% girls, 78% boys since 1880)

From Greek onyx, originally meaning claw or fingernail, later the name of the banded gemstone. Used as a modern English given name from the gem word.

English names American names Names meaning gem Names meaning earth Modern names Nature names International names

How popular is Onyx?

2024334 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Onyx in 20241,113

2024 rank#358 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 18807,581

Onyx is rising: use over the last five years is 10.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Onyx

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Angelmessenger · Greek
Phoenixdark red · Greek
Oceanocean, great sea · Greek
Parisuncertain meaning · Greek
Cleoglory · Greek
IndigoIndian dye, indigo blue · Greek
Psalmsacred song · Greek
Zephyrwest wind · Greek

Onyx questions

What does the name Onyx mean?

Onyx means "claw; black gemstone". It comes from Greek. From Greek onyx, originally meaning claw or fingernail, later the name of the banded gemstone. Used as a modern English given name from the gem word.

Is Onyx a boy or girl name?

Onyx is used for both: about 22% of US babies named Onyx since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Onyx?

1,113 US babies were named Onyx in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Onyx?

Onyx is usually pronounced OH-niks.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.