Garnet is a name of

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...

origin, derived from the dark red

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

, which was in turn named for the

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

that the

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different ...

crystals resemble. The surname Garnett comes from an

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

occupational surname referring to a seller of

hinge A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation: all other ...

s.Behind the Name Behind the Name
/ref> It is both a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

and a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. The name came into occasional use along with other gem names during the late

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

. Garnet was among the top 1,000 names for girls in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

between 1884 and 1944. It was most popular in 1911, when it was the 376th most popular given name for American girls. It was in occasional use for boys in the United States between 1882 and 1925. It was most popular in 1904, when it was 593rd most popular name for American boys. The name has not appeared among the top 1,000 names for boys or girls since 1944 in the United States.

People

Surname

* Eldon Garnet (born 1946), Canadian artist * Henry Garnet (1555–1606), English Jesuit * Henry Highland Garnet (1815–1882), African-American abolishionist *

John Roslyn Garnet John Roslyn (Ros) Garnet (1906–1998) was an Australian biochemist and naturalist with a strong interest in nature conservation. Life Garnet began his career in the Commonwealth Health Department Laboratory at Port Pirie, where he worked from ...

(1906–1998), Australian biochemist and naturalist * Sarah J. Garnet (1883–1911), African-American educator *

Thomas Garnet Thomas Garnet (9 November 1575 – 23 June 1608) was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London. He is the protomartyr (i.e., the first martyr associated with a place) of Saint Omer and of Stonyhurst College. He was executed at Tyburn an ...

(1575–1608), English Jesuit priest

First name

Garnet Ault Garnet Walter Ault (November 1, 1905 – September 10, 1993) was a Canadian competition swimmer and Olympic medallist. At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Ault competed in the 4×200-metre, 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle events, and wo ...

(1905–1993), Canadian swimmer * Garnet Bailey (1946–2001), Canadian ice hockey player *

Garnet Baltimore Garnet Douglass Baltimore (April 15, 1859 – June 12, 1946) was the first African-American engineer and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, Class of 1881. He was named for two prominent abolitionists, Henry Highland G ...

(1859–1946), African-American engineer * Garnet Bloomfield (born 1929), Canadian politician *

Garnet Bougoure Garnet Bougoure (3 March 1923 – 22 November 2008) was an Australian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who was highly successful competing in South-East Asia and in Europe. Bougoure was a still a boy when he left his home in Dalby, Queen ...

(1923–2008), Australian jockey * Garnet Brown (1930–2010), Canadian businessman *

Garnet Campbell Harry Garnet Campbell (31 July 1903 – 21 January 1981) was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Campbell, noted for his strong disposal skills and pace, was best ...

(1903–1971), former Australian rules footballer * Garnet H. Carroll (1902–1964), Australian theatre producer *

Garnet Clark Garnet Clark, sometimes credited as Garnett Clark (February 16, 1917 – November 30, 1938), was an American jazz pianist. Clark began playing professionally in his birthplace of Washington, D.C., United States, at age 16 in Tommy Myles's band. B ...

(1917–1938), American jazz pianist *

Garnet Coleman Garnet Fredrick Coleman (born September 8, 1961) is an American politician. From 1991 to 2022, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 147th district, located entirely within Houston and Harris County. Early life and educ ...

(born 1961), American politician * Garnet Coulter (1882–1975), Canadian politician *

Garnet Exelby John Garnet Exelby (born August 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was particularly known for his aggressive s ...

(born 1981), Canadian ice hockey player *

Garnet Hathaway John Garnet Hathaway (born November 23, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Hathaway was born in Naples, Florida, but moved to Kennebunkport, Maine ...

(1991) American ice hockey player * Garnet Hughes (1880–1937), Canadian military officer * Garnet Jex (1895–1979), American artist and historian * Garnet Kearney (1884–1971), Canadian doctor *

Garnet Lee Garnet Morley Lee (7 June 1887 – 29 February 1976) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire between 1910 and 1922 and for Derbyshire between 1925 and 1933. He scored nearly 15,000 runs in his first-class ...

(1887–1978), English cricketer * Garnet Mackley (1883–1986), New Zealand businessman and politician *

Garnet Malley Garnet Francis Malley, (2 November 1892 – 20 May 1961) was an Australian fighter ace of World War I, credited with six aerial victories. He was an aviation adviser to Chiang Kai-shek's government in China during the 1930s, and an ...

(1892–1961), Australia WWI flying ace * Garnet Mimms (born 1933), American singer * Garnet Richardson (1933-2016), former Canadian curler *

Garnet Rogers Garnet Rogers (born May 1955) is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario with roots in Nova Scotia. He began his professional career working with his older brother, folk musician Stan Rogers, a ...

(born 1955), Canadian musician *

Garnet Walch Garnet Walch (1 October 1843 in Broadmarsh ( Tasmania) – 3 January 1913 in Melbourne), was an Australian writer, dramatist, journalist and publisher. From 1872 on, he became very popular as author of numerous pantomimes, burlesques, melodram ...

(1843–1913), Australian writer *

Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, (4 June 183325 March 1913), was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential and admired British generals after a series of successes in Canada, We ...

(1833–1913), British Army officer

People

Surname

First name

Notes

See also