girl's name
Jewel
JOO-ul (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 48,034
Jewel may descend from the Latin for a joke — the leading account traces it through Old French to jocus, a game or plaything, which would make the most precious thing in the house a toy by origin.
- Jewel is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 959 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 22,102 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jewel Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 160 |
| 1890s | 735 |
| 1900s | 2,285 |
| 1910s | 6,335 |
| 1920s | 9,060 |
| 1930s | 5,745 |
| 1940s | 4,183 |
| 1950s | 3,081 |
| 1960s | 2,048 |
| 1970s | 1,232 |
| 1980s | 1,407 |
| 1990s | 2,504 |
| 2000s | 3,613 |
| 2010s | 3,119 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,221 |
What Jewel Means
Jewel means a precious stone or ornament. The word names the object, so any sense of value belongs to the thing rather than to a quality of the person.
Where Jewel Comes From
Jewel is the Old French joel, an ornament or gem. The leading derivation takes it from the Latin jocus — a jest, game or plaything — by way of a diminutive meaning a trinket, which would make the word for the costliest object in a household descend from one meaning a toy. A rival account derives it from gaudium, joy. Neither is certain. English use as a given name is nineteenth-century and mostly American.
Jewel in Use
Jewel peaked in the United States in 1920, when 959 babies were registered, and it is stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1,516th in the United States on 150 births and 2,413th in England and Wales on 12, across 48,034 lifetime births in three markets. About 89 percent of recorded births are female, and it is on record from 1880.
How Popular Is Jewel?
In 2025, Jewel was given to 150 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jewel Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Jewel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Jewel Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jewel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Jewel
- English JOO-ul /ˈdʒuː.əl/
Jewel in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Jewel
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Jewel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Jewel
What does the name Jewel mean?
A precious stone — the Old French joel.
Does jewel come from a word for joke?
The leading account traces it to the Latin jocus, a game or plaything. A derivation from gaudium, joy, is the rival.
Is Jewel a girls' name?
Mostly — about 89 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Jewel?
1,516th in the United States, and stable rather than falling.
How many syllables are in Jewel?
Jewel has 2 syllables.
Is Jewel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jewel currently ranks #1,516 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.