Baby Name Jade: Glittering and Strong

The baby name Jade emerged as a glamorous alternative to older gemstones like Ruby and Pearl. Today it fits in perfectly with fresh nature names and traditional choices alike.

Thanks to JNE for suggesting today’s Baby Name of the Day.

THE MEANING OF THE NAME JADE

Jade is a pretty type of rock, typically – but not exclusively – found in shades of green.

It’s been used for decorative carvings and objects, as well as jewelry, since the prehistoric era. While it’s not always the exact same stone, jade is known is Asia and Latin America.

Today, the country of Myanamar – between India and China and Thailand, located on the Bay of Bengal, produces the lion’s share of jade, as well as rubies and other precious gems.

But the name’s roots are Spanish – and not particularly glamorous.

The phrase “piedra de ijada” means “stone of the flank” or “stone of pain in the side.” Ijada comes from the Latin word ileus, meaning colic. (Not the kind we think of with babies exactly, but more of a stomachache in adults.)

In other words, jade was once considered a cure for kidney or abdominal pain. It takes its name from the ailment.

Translated into French, it became I’ejade. As sometimes happens, over time the name was misunderstood as le jade.

Plenty of pretty, colorful gemstones have been used as girls’ names over the years. Why not Jade?

As it happens, the Old Norse word jälda – mare – initially referred to a worn-out horse. By the 1500s, it had also become the word jade in English. If you’re jaded, you’re weary or worn out, often from overindulgence. It can rather cruel.

A century or two after the whole tired-out-horse bit, the gemstone’s name also became jade in English.

Now the green stone really is the strongest association, leaving medical terms and insults far in the past. But that history helps explain why we don’t hear Jade alongside vintage gems like Ruby and Pearl.

DRAGON SEED

Speaking of Pearl, in 1942, Pearl S. Buck published Dragon Seed: A Novel of China Today. It’s the story of peasants in a village near Nanking, China during the 1937 Japanese invasion. While the story is fictional, the brutality of the moment is accurate. Dragon Seed became an important historic novel of the era.

The story was adapted as a movie in 1944. Katharine Hepburn played Jade, the villager who stood up to the Japanese invaders and convinced her family and neighbors to do the same. (Yes, all of the Asian characters were played by white actors.)

It’s the very first moment that Jade seems to have registered as a potential given name in the US.

Perhaps part of the reason Buck chose the character’s name in the first place? In China, jade is associated with purity, bravery, and honesty, as well as immortality. It’s sometimes called “the stone of heaven.”

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME JADE?

In 1944, the baby name Jade debuted in the US popularity data for girls, with six births. By 1945, that number reached 37 newborn girls. Credit clearly goes to Katharine Hepburn and Pearl S. Buck.

The name was still used in small, steady numbers for girls when it started to trend for boys.

In fact, Jade debuted in the boys’ Top 1000 in 1968. It wasn’t until 1975 that Jade ranked for girls.

1975 also marks the very first year that Jade was given to more girls than boys.

What explains the rise of Jade as a boy’s name? That’s unclear. But on sound alone, Jade fits with Jake and Wade and plenty of names familiar in mid-century America.

The name would really skyrocket for girls – and finally fall out of use for boys – as the twentieth century ended and the twenty-first began.

As of 2023, the baby name Jade ranks #81 in the US for girls – a new high. At the same time, it was given to just 51 boys.

ENTER JADE JAGGER

What happened along the way?

Mick was then, and is now, a major international star. The Rolling Stones frontman met the Nicaraguan-born actress, socialite, and activist after a concert in France. A high-profile wedding followed, and Bianca emerged as a fashion icon in her own right.

In 1971, Mick Jagger and wife Bianca welcomed daughter Jade.

No question that their family put the name in the headlines, sending it soaring towards the US Top 1000.

JADA, JAYDEN, AND MORE

It wasn’t just the baby name Jade, though.

As the years passed, more Jade names emerged, including:

• Jada, as in actress Jada Pinkett Smith. She debuted on FOX’s True Colors in 1990. While the name was in use earlier, it gained rapidly as Jada’s star rose. Spellings like Jayda and Jaida caught on, too.
• Jayden was boosted when Jada and Will named their son Jaden, after mom. But the Aiden names were a whole sensation in their own right, with spellings including Jadyn, Jaiden, and Jaidyn also trending.
• More creative choices, like Jadiel and Jadalyn, have also been seen.
• The Italian Giada got a boost from celebrity chef Giada DeLaurentis. The television personality named her own daughter Jade.

INTERNATIONAL FAVORITE

For nearly two decades, the baby name Jade has topped the popularity lists in France. It continues to rank in the girls’ Top Ten. It’s also fared well in Belgium and Quebec.

Jade is a rising Top 100 choice in the Netherlands, and it’s heard in the Spanish-speaking world, too.

GLITTERING and STRONG

The baby name Jade retains all the strength of the gemstone. File it somewhere between Emerald and Blair, Willow and Pearl. It’s glittering and strong, with a current sound that feels nicely traditional.

What do you think of the baby name Jade?

First published on January 4, 2019, this post was revised on August 6, 2024.