Topaz
A precious gemstone which has a range of warm colors.
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the first name Topaz. It is a predominantly female name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Topaz today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Topaz births was 1989 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Topaz. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
294
~ 1 in 1,165,831 Americans
Peak year
1989
17 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,711
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Topaz
Topaz leans heavily female at 98.0% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Topaz as a male name
- Ranked #8,711 in 1994
- 6 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1994 (6 births)
Topaz as a female name
- Ranked #13,331 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1989 (17 births)
Popularity
Topaz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Topaz from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 98 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Topaz by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Topaz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Topaz' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Topaz
The name Topaz is derived from the gemstone of the same name, which is a semi-precious silicate mineral that comes in various shades of yellow, orange, brown, and blue. The word "topaz" itself is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, where it was known as "tapaz" or "tapas," meaning "fire" or "heat."
The topaz gemstone has been prized for its beauty and rarity since ancient times. In ancient Greek literature, the philosopher Pliny the Elder mentioned the topaz in his work "Naturalis Historia" (Natural History), describing it as a gemstone found on the island of Topazios in the Red Sea (now known as St. John's Island or Zabargad).
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Topaz can be found in the 16th century. In 1592, a Dutch explorer named Cornelis de Houtman brought back a collection of topaz gemstones from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. These gemstones quickly became popular in Europe, and the name "Topaz" began to be used as a given name.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Topaz. One of the earliest was Topaz Pickering (1679-1738), an English botanist and naturalist who was a fellow of the Royal Society. Another notable figure was Topaz McGarrigle (1793-1868), an Irish writer and playwright who authored several works in the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, Topaz Tufts-Lerchen (1904-1981) was an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract metal works. Topaz Meenavalli (1924-2008) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who helped popularize the Kuchipudi dance form.
More recently, Topaz Gemini (born 1961) is an American author and spiritual teacher who has written several books on personal growth and self-empowerment.
While the name Topaz was originally inspired by the gemstone, it has since taken on a life of its own as a unique and distinctive given name, particularly in the English-speaking world. Its association with the beautiful and valuable gemstone has contributed to its enduring popularity.
People
Topaz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Topaz as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Topaz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Topaz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 294 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Topaz going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,165,831 US residents.
Is Topaz a common name?
We classify Topaz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 306 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Topaz most popular?
The single biggest year for Topaz was 1989, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Topaz is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Topaz a female name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Topaz in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.