Fun Facts About the Name Onyx
- More than 8 thousand babies named Onyx: U.S. records list 8,617 babies given the name Onyx from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 1,782 girls received the name Onyx - about 1 girl for every 4 boys.
What Does the Name Onyx Mean?
Onyx means "claw" or "fingernail," from the Greek word ónyx (ὄνυξ). Latin took the word as onyx, and English received it through Old French. The gemstone took its name from its layered bands of white and color, which were compared to a fingernail set against the skin, echoing the Greek word's other everyday sense. In Greek and Roman usage the term covered several banded stones, not only the black stone the word usually means today. English uses the same word both as an ordinary noun for the stone and, more recently, as a given name taken directly from it.
Onyx Name History & Origins
The stone and its name moved westward through Greek, Latin, and Old French before appearing in Middle English as onix, later respelled onyx. Because banded onyx has contrasting layers, Roman craftsmen carved cameos and intaglios from it, cutting the lighter layer as a figure against the darker ground. Ancient writers applied the word to a range of banded materials, and it is still used for banded calcite, often sold as onyx marble. Classical tradition also repeated a story that the stone was formed from the parings of the goddess Venus's fingernails, a tale that plays on the Greek meaning "nail."
In modern mineralogy, onyx is a banded form of chalcedony, a silica mineral; the deep black stones sold as black onyx are commonly agate that has been dyed, since natural black banding is rare. The name's dark, glossy association comes from this stone rather than from anything in the Greek word itself.
As a personal name, Onyx belongs to the English tradition of word-names drawn from gems and minerals, alongside Ruby, Pearl, Amber, Jade, and Opal. Unlike those, Onyx is a modern addition to the group, used as a given name in the United States for both boys and girls. The word also appears in English Bibles, where Hebrew shoham is translated as "onyx" in passages describing stones on the high priest's garments (Exodus 28) and the stones of Eden (Genesis 2:12); that rendering is a translator's choice, and the identity of shoham is debated, with beryl and carnelian among the alternatives proposed. The biblical use belongs to the Hebrew text and its English translators, not to the Greek origin of the name itself.
How Popular is the Name Onyx?
Onyx recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #307 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,410 | 155 | 0.0096% |
| 2024 | #1,248 | 186 | 0.0115% |
| 2023 | #1,228 | 192 | 0.0120% |
| 2022 | #1,352 | 173 | 0.0106% |
| 2021 | #1,303 | 174 | 0.0106% |
| 2020 | #1,748 | 115 | 0.0071% |
| 2019 | #2,027 | 95 | 0.0057% |
| 2018 | #2,377 | 77 | 0.0045% |
| 2017 | #2,536 | 70 | 0.0041% |
| 2016 | #2,928 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2015 | #3,967 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2014 | #3,528 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2013 | #4,402 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #4,684 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #7,045 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #6,128 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2009 | #5,850 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2008 | #10,617 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #5,653 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #6,774 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #9,311 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #10,497 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #8,927 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #7,349 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #6,248 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #8,420 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #12,322 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #5,526 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #7,611 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #6,644 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #6,524 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #5,912 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #5,866 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #7,887 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #12,641 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,013 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #9,394 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #11,937 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1918 | #5,394 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #365 | 881 | 0.0516% |
| 2024 | #358 | 927 | 0.0540% |
| 2023 | #307 | 1,077 | 0.0630% |
| 2022 | #353 | 932 | 0.0534% |
| 2021 | #405 | 767 | 0.0439% |
| 2020 | #613 | 446 | 0.0259% |
| 2019 | #744 | 323 | 0.0180% |
| 2018 | #861 | 256 | 0.0141% |
| 2017 | #1,060 | 188 | 0.0102% |
| 2016 | #1,118 | 175 | 0.0092% |
| 2015 | #1,426 | 121 | 0.0063% |
| 2014 | #1,677 | 92 | 0.0048% |
| 2013 | #1,845 | 78 | 0.0041% |
| 2012 | #1,829 | 81 | 0.0043% |
| 2011 | #2,278 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #2,230 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2009 | #2,222 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 2008 | #2,924 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #3,490 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 2006 | #3,585 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 2005 | #4,420 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #3,609 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #4,756 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #4,148 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #5,074 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #3,879 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #7,674 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #5,380 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #4,003 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #4,810 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #5,793 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #6,209 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #4,390 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #8,175 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #7,839 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Onyx Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Onyx's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Onyx's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.