Garnet is a name of Middle English origin, derived from the dark red gemstone, which was in turn named for the pomegranate that the garnet crystals resemble.

It could come from an Old English occupational surname referring to a seller of hinges,[2] be derived from Guarin, a Norman French version of the German name Warin, meaning to ward off[3] or an occupational name referring to someone who grows or sells pomegranates.

It might have been used for boys as a given name in reference to Garnet Wolseley, a British field marshal.

Other gemstone names came into fashion for girls in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Garnet was among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States between 1884 and 1944.