Names that mean metal, steel, or mineral are edgy choices for a little boy or girl, but they do carry a new sense of masculinity with them. Though, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t suitable for a little girl and they’re a fresh alternative to gemstone names.
Those names that are connected to metal, gems, minerals, and jewels offer parents a fresh and modern name option.
We have put together some of our favorite names that mean metal, mineral, or steel for both boys and girls. Check out our list and see if any of them spark your imagination.
Or maybe you’re looking for a name that has more passion to it so why choose a name that actually means passion.
In this article
Metal, Steel, and Mineral Boy Names
Alabaster – Alabaster is a white stone that was often used to make sculptures. Its name is thought to have been derived from the Egyptian term al-abaste which refers to the God Bast.
Alnico – This is an English name that means ‘metal alloy’.
Aneirin – A name of Welsh origin and means very golden or noble.
Aputsiak – Means ‘snow crystal’ and is of Greenlandic origin.
Argento – Of Latin origin and means ‘silvery’.
Argyris – This is a name of Greek origin that means ‘silver.’
Aurelio – Italian variation of Aurelius and means the golden one.
Aurelius – Of Latin origin and means “the golden one.” This is one of the Roman emperor names like Augustus that are now considered suitable.
Axton – Means “sword stone” and is of English origin.
Berilo – A name of Spanish origin from Greek and means “beryl, pale green gemstone.”
Cairn – Scottish in origin and means “mound of rocks.”
Caledon – An Irish place name from Caledonia and it means “hard or rocky land.”
Callan – A name of Gaelic origin and means “descendant of Cathalan.” Its name is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname O Cathalain. It is hugely popular in Scotland.
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Carnelian – Carnelian is an ochre-colored gemstone that was named after a type of cherry.
Carrick – Means ‘rock’ and is of Gaelic origin.
Cashel – Of Irish origin and means “castle, stone fort.” Although, it is an appealing Irish name it has yet to emigrate to the US.
Cephas – It means “rock” and it’s of Aramaic origin.
Clay – English word name diminutive of Clayton. The name is a rich, earthy one-syllable name.
Coal – Word name and with the recent respelling makes it a darker name.
Cobalt – Of all the blue color names being used currently, Cobalt is one of the most unusual and unique names.
Colton – An English name meaning ‘from the coal or dark town’.
Copper – The name of burnished metal.
Craig – Of Scottish origin and means “from the rocks.”
Creighton – This is a name of English and Scottish origin that means ‘hilltop town’ or ‘rocky place’.
Denarius – Means ‘silver coin’ and is of Latin origin.
Dustin – A name of Norse origin and means brave warrior or Thor’s stone.
Eben – Diminutive form of Ebenezer, of Hebrew origin and means stone for help.
Ebenezer – A name of Hebrew origin and means stone of help.
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Elessar – This is an invented literary name that means ‘elfstone’.
Elixir – Arabic origin and means ‘medical substance’ or ‘philosopher’s stone’.
Emery – Means industrious and is of German origin.
Ferris – Irish in origin and means rock.
Flint – A name of English origin and means born near outcrop of flint. This is one of the new macho masculine names on the rise today.
Garnet – Jewel name with French origin and means pomegranate.
Halston – Means hallowed stone and is of English origin.
Harlan – Of German and English origin and means rocky land.
Harlow – Originally an English surname that means rock hill or army hill.
Isambard – Isambard means ‘bright iron’ and is of English origin.
Jasper – A name of Persian origin and means bringer of treasure. The name originated as a variation of the Latin Gasper, which was derived from the Persian word ganzabara.
Jet – Both a mineral and word name. This name is on the rise along with names such as Jetson.
Kessler – A boy’s name meaning ‘coppersmith’. This is also a German surname.
Kin – Means ‘gold’ and is of Japanese origin.
Larimar – A gemstone name. A bright blue gemstone named after the discoverer’s daughter, Larissa, and the sea, ‘mar’.
Malachite – Gemstone name, this is a rich green color and is often used for decorative sculptures.
Mercury – Of Latin origin and means Roman messenger god.
Mica – Short form of Michal.
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Onyx – Is a gem name and is less common than Pearl and Ruby.
Oriol – Catalan in origin and means golden. The name is in the top 100 choices in Spain but is virtually unknown outside the country.
Orville – A name of French origin and means gold town.
Peter – The name means rock and is of Greek origin. Peter is derived from the Greek Petros meaning rock or stone.
Piers – Greek in origin and means rock. The name was the first version of Peter to reach the English-speaking world via the Normans. But it has never made it in the US.
Quartz – A mineral name that is a bit quirky as a name, especially a first name. If you do love it maybe try it as a middle name.
Rockwell – Of English origin and means rock spring.
Sekani – Tumbuka in origin and means people on the rocks; laugh.
Silver – An English word name that has a hint of Age of Aquarius unisex flower child name that is making a comeback.
Sixten – Norse in origin and means stone of victory.
Shale – Another word name on our list.
Slate – This is one of the more unusual current strong, single-syllable names.
Slater – English occupational name that means maker of slates.
Smith – An English occupational name meaning blacksmith.
Steel – A word name that means hard and shiny.
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Stone – A word name although some may find such names as harsh and severe. But increasing numbers of parents are gravitating toward this kind of flinty, steel, and stony name.
Thurston – Of Scandinavian origin and means Thor’s stone.
Tolliver – English occupational name meaning metalworker.
Wystan – A name of English origin and means battle stone.
Zahavi – Means gold and is of Hebrew origin.
Zuriel – Of Hebrew origin and means God is my rock.
Metal, Steel, and Mineral Girl Names
Aranka – This is a name of Hungarian origin that has been derived from ‘arany’ meaning ‘gold’.
Argyro – Greek origin and is the female form of ‘Argyros’.
Ariana – Feminine form of the Albanian word ‘arian’ which means ‘golden life’.
Arianrhod – Possibly means ‘silver wheel’ and is from Welsh mythology. Arianrhod was the goddess of the moon in earlier myths.
Aurea – Derived from ‘aureus’ which means ‘golden’ and is of Latin origin.
Aureole – From the English word meaning ‘radiant halo’ which was originally derived from the Latin word for ‘golden’.
Chrysanta – Latin form of the Greek ‘Chrysanthe’ which means ‘golden flower’.
Cressida – Medival form of Chryseis who in many medieval tales was described as a woman of Troy who left her Trojan lover Troilus in favor of the Greek hero Diomedes.
Eun – A name of Korean origin meaning ‘silver’. This is usually used in a combination but can be used as a stand-alone name.
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Eurwen – Derived from the Welsh word ‘aur’ which means gold and ‘gwen’ which means fair.
Fidda – This is a name of Arabic origin that means ‘silver’.
Fizza – An alternative to Fidda which means ‘silver’.
Hema – Means ‘golden’ and is of Indian origin.
Ishild – An early form of ‘Isolde’ which means ‘iron’ and is of Ancient Germanic origin.
Isolde – The origins of this name are uncertain though some Celtic links have been suggested. The name itself means ‘iron’.
Kham – Of Lao origin and means ‘gold’.
Khamphet – A name of Lao origin that comes from the words ‘kham’ meaning ‘gold’ and ‘phet’ meaning ‘diamond’.
Kim – Vietnamese origin and means ‘gold’ or ‘metal’.
Lujayn – This is a name of Arabic origin that means ‘silver’.
Nubia – Possibly derived from the Egyptian word ‘nbw’ which means ‘gold’.
Orfhlaith – A name of Irish origin that means ‘golden princess’.
Oria – This is the Italian form of ‘Aurea’ which means ‘golden’.
Oriana – Possibly derived from the Latin word ‘aurum’ which means ‘gold’. In medieval legends, Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.
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Oriette – This is the French form of ‘Oria’ which means ‘golden’.
Orinda – Probably an elaboration of the Spanish word ‘oro’ which means ‘goldon’.
Orla – This is an Anglicized version of ‘Orfhlaith’.
Paz – Means ‘golden in Hebrew.
Ritika – A name of Indian origin that means ‘brass’.
Rukmini – Hindu origin and means ‘adorned with gold’‘. In Hindu belief, this is the name of the princess who became the wife of Krishna.
Silver – The English word for the precious metal or color, which was derived from the old English word ‘seolfor’.
Sonal – Means ‘gold and is of Indian origin. This is derived from the word ‘suvarna’ which means ‘good color’.
Sovanna – This name means ‘golden, dream’ in Khmer.
Suzu – Japanese origin and means ‘bell’.
Vanna – Means ‘bell’ in Khmer but is ultimately from Sanskrit.
Vosgi – Alternative of the Armenian name ‘Voski’.
Voski – Means ‘gold’ in Armenian.
Zlota – From the Polish word ‘gold’.
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The Final Thought
That brings us to the end of our list, many of the names will be familiar to you. While there are others that are truly unique with a great meaning. Hopefully, our list has inspired you to embrace a name that means metal, steel, or mineral as an alternative to the typical gemstone names.
But if you are looking for a name with a more prosperous meaning then check out those names that mean fate, destiny, luck, or fortune.