Opal
Opal was the 423rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 740 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 81st; the most babies were born in 1918 (2,847). Over the last ten years it has moved up 687 places. More babies were named Opal in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning opal (gemstone) · English, Sanskrit, Latin
Say it OH-pul /ˈoʊpəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #423 girls, up 226 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 740girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19182,847 babies
- Total since 1880
- 74,257babies recorded
What does the name Opal mean?
Opal is the name of a precious stone with shifting colors, used as a given name since the 19th century, as Wiktionary notes. Dictionary.com traces the word through Latin opalus to Greek and ultimately to Sanskrit upala, "stone, gem". It was fashionable in the US around 1900 and has recently returned with other gem names.
opalus (Latin, “opal”)उपल (Sanskrit, “stone, gem”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Ruby, Pearl, Jade.
See also: English names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Opal', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'opal', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Opal popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 718 since 1896.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #423 | 740 |
| 2020 | #649 | 445 |
| 2010 | #2,336 | 82 |
| 2000 | #3,959 | 32 |
| 1990 | #3,131 | 36 |
| 1980 | #1,744 | 64 |
| 1970 | #1,523 | 65 |
| 1960 | #923 | 133 |
| 1950 | #585 | 207 |
| 1940 | #273 | 521 |
| 1930 | #156 | 1,327 |
| 1920 | #101 | 2,702 |
| 1910 | #87 | 1,051 |
| 1900 | #140 | 432 |
| 1890 | #281 | 80 |
| 1880 | #912 | 5 |
How popular is Opal, counting every spelling?
Opal has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #442 for girls in 2025, against #423 on the official list, because Jazlyn/Jazlynn/Jazzlyn and Macie/Maci/Macy and Winter/Wynter/Wynnter move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Opal?
740 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Opal (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Opal born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Opal.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Opal?
About 13,900 people born in the US named Opal are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 6 and 79. That makes Opal mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Opal by state
How common Opal was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (5.0×), Idaho (4.1×), Montana (3.7×), Arkansas (3.4×), Iowa (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, New York, Maryland.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Opal: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Opal, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Opal
What does Opal mean?
Opal means “opal (gemstone)” (English, Sanskrit, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Opal?
Opal was the 423rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 740 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 81st; the most babies were born in 1918 (2,847). Over the last ten years it has moved up 687 places. More babies were named Opal in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Opal a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Opal in the US.
Where is Opal most popular?
In 2021–2025, Opal was most common in Alaska (2.09 per 1,000 girls), followed by Oregon and Idaho.