Opal
Opal was given to 740 girls in 2025, #423 among girls’ names; 74,257 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 14,100 Americans named Opal and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (19% of everyone recorded); the median is 44 years old and half are between 6 and 80.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Opal by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Opal mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Opal is “a female given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.”
Also “a unisex given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Opal?
#423 among girls’ names, 2025
Opal rose from #1,110 in 2015 to #423 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.13 to 0.46 per 1,000.
2,886 babies in 1918, the peak
Opal peaked in 1918, when 2,886 babies were given it (2,847 girls, #94 among girls’ names). The 740 births of 2025 are 26% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 740 | #423 | 0.46 |
| 2024 | 696 | #449 | 0.43 |
| 2023 | 631 | #486 | 0.39 |
| 2022 | 595 | #525 | 0.36 |
| 2021 | 562 | #545 | 0.34 |
| 2020 | 445 | #649 | 0.28 |
| 2019 | 427 | #683 | 0.25 |
| 2018 | 337 | #809 | 0.20 |
| 2017 | 321 | #849 | 0.19 |
| 2016 | 261 | #1,016 | 0.15 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 233 | #1,110 | 0.13 |
| 2014 | 183 | #1,304 | 0.10 |
| 2013 | 125 | #1,687 | 0.07 |
| 2012 | 105 | #1,909 | 0.06 |
| 2011 | 93 | #2,084 | 0.05 |
| 2010 | 82 | #2,336 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 77 | #2,479 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 87 | #2,264 | 0.05 |
| 2007 | 69 | #2,675 | 0.04 |
| 2006 | 79 | #2,390 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 42 | #3,565 | 0.02 |
| 2004 | 60 | #2,729 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 39 | #3,637 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 38 | #3,573 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 36 | #3,683 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 32 | #3,954 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 24 | #4,688 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 39 | #3,207 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 35 | #3,345 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 27 | #4,021 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 20 | #4,964 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 29 | #3,756 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 34 | #3,329 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 29 | #3,749 | 0.02 |
| 1991 | 31 | #3,508 | 0.02 |
| 1990 | 36 | #3,126 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 37 | #2,965 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 49 | #2,282 | 0.03 |
| 1987 | 53 | #2,088 | 0.03 |
| 1986 | 55 | #1,996 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 49 | #2,159 | 0.03 |
| 1984 | 49 | #2,071 | 0.03 |
| 1983 | 52 | #1,985 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 56 | #1,914 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 63 | #1,780 | 0.04 |
| 1980 | 64 | #1,744 | 0.04 |
| 1979 | 78 | #1,512 | 0.05 |
| 1978 | 70 | #1,565 | 0.05 |
| 1977 | 64 | #1,652 | 0.04 |
| 1976 | 82 | #1,326 | 0.06 |
| 1975 | 65 | #1,555 | 0.04 |
| 1974 | 73 | #1,410 | 0.05 |
| 1973 | 63 | #1,505 | 0.04 |
| 1972 | 64 | #1,500 | 0.04 |
| 1971 | 80 | #1,344 | 0.05 |
| 1970 | 65 | #1,523 | 0.04 |
| 1969 | 71 | #1,367 | 0.04 |
| 1968 | 74 | #1,287 | 0.05 |
| 1967 | 74 | #1,250 | 0.04 |
| 1966 | 72 | #1,281 | 0.04 |
| 1965 | 87 | #1,141 | 0.05 |
| 1964 | 88 | #1,179 | 0.05 |
| 1963 | 97 | #1,110 | 0.05 |
| 1962 | 99 | #1,095 | 0.05 |
| 1961 | 102 | #1,089 | 0.05 |
| 1960 | 133 | #923 | 0.07 |
| 1959 | 118 | #974 | 0.06 |
| 1958 | 113 | #979 | 0.06 |
| 1957 | 155 | #815 | 0.08 |
| 1956 | 152 | #807 | 0.08 |
| 1955 | 186 | #686 | 0.10 |
| 1954 | 170 | #707 | 0.09 |
| 1953 | 193 | #642 | 0.10 |
| 1952 | 201 | #622 | 0.11 |
| 1951 | 217 | #581 | 0.12 |
| 1950 | 207 | #584 | 0.12 |
| 1949 | 271 | #487 | 0.16 |
| 1948 | 260 | #506 | 0.15 |
| 1947 | 356 | #432 | 0.20 |
| 1946 | 330 | #424 | 0.21 |
| 1945 | 337 | #383 | 0.26 |
| 1944 | 400 | #343 | 0.30 |
| 1943 | 436 | #341 | 0.31 |
| 1942 | 447 | #327 | 0.33 |
| 1941 | 434 | #315 | 0.36 |
| 1940 | 521 | #273 | 0.46 |
| 1939 | 557 | #263 | 0.51 |
| 1938 | 579 | #263 | 0.52 |
| 1937 | 620 | #254 | 0.58 |
| 1936 | 706 | #231 | 0.68 |
| 1935 | 777 | #219 | 0.74 |
| 1934 | 892 | #199 | 0.85 |
| 1933 | 931 | #182 | 0.92 |
| 1932 | 1,052 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1931 | 1,088 | #171 | 1.0 |
| 1930 | 1,327 | #156 | 1.2 |
| 1929 | 1,452 | #150 | 1.3 |
| 1928 | 1,591 | #146 | 1.4 |
| 1927 | 1,738 | #141 | 1.5 |
| 1926 | 2,027 | #130 | 1.7 |
| 1925 | 2,108 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1924 | 2,284 | #120 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 2,365 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1922 | 2,562 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1921 | 2,713 | #103 | 2.2 |
| 1920 | 2,702 | #101 | 2.3 |
| 1919 | 2,652 | #98 | 2.3 |
| 1918 | 2,847 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1917 | 2,541 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1916 | 2,636 | #91 | 2.5 |
| 1915 | 2,482 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1914 | 1,893 | #89 | 2.5 |
| 1913 | 1,629 | #86 | 2.6 |
| 1912 | 1,465 | #85 | 2.6 |
| 1911 | 1,190 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1910 | 1,051 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1909 | 1,028 | #82 | 3.0 |
| 1908 | 955 | #84 | 2.9 |
| 1907 | 889 | #86 | 2.8 |
| 1906 | 718 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1905 | 702 | #99 | 2.4 |
| 1904 | 621 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1903 | 542 | #106 | 2.1 |
| 1902 | 498 | #117 | 1.9 |
| 1901 | 406 | #126 | 1.7 |
| 1900 | 432 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1899 | 278 | #162 | 1.2 |
| 1898 | 262 | #178 | 1.0 |
| 1897 | 230 | #182 | 1.0 |
| 1896 | 186 | #205 | 0.78 |
| 1895 | 158 | #216 | 0.68 |
| 1894 | 164 | #209 | 0.74 |
| 1893 | 123 | #236 | 0.58 |
| 1892 | 107 | #256 | 0.50 |
| 1891 | 78 | #286 | 0.42 |
| 1890 | 80 | #281 | 0.42 |
| 1889 | 67 | #297 | 0.38 |
| 1888 | 52 | #334 | 0.29 |
| 1887 | 40 | #341 | 0.27 |
| 1886 | 28 | #411 | 0.19 |
| 1885 | 31 | #371 | 0.23 |
| 1884 | 28 | #382 | 0.22 |
| 1883 | 16 | #495 | 0.14 |
| 1882 | 13 | #525 | 0.12 |
| 1881 | 14 | #467 | 0.15 |
| 1880 | 5 | #912 | 0.05 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Opal a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Opal has been given almost only to girls: 718 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Opal: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Opal, and how old are they?
14,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 19% of the 74,257 Americans ever recorded as Opal. The median Opal alive today is 44 years old; half are between 6 and 80.
The 2020 Census counted 13,016 people named Opal (12,914 women and girls, 102 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 14,691 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,120 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,560 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,060 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 649 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 928 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 5,520 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Opal born?
The states with the most babies named Opal are Texas, Oklahoma and Kentucky, with 28% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Oklahoma and Kentucky are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6,611 | #738 | 1.7× |
| Oklahoma | 5,310 | #261 | 3.9× |
| Kentucky | 4,995 | #242 | 3.0× |
| Missouri | 4,260 | #253 | 2.3× |
| Arkansas | 3,515 | #161 | 3.0× |
| Tennessee | 3,119 | #278 | 1.8× |
| West Virginia | 3,091 | #200 | 2.8× |
| Ohio | 2,650 | #370 | 0.8× |
| Alabama | 2,362 | #358 | 1.3× |
| Illinois | 2,346 | #564 | 0.7× |
Where Opal is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Opal is most over-represented in Oklahoma: since 1910 it was given 3.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Opal with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 74,534 babies since 1880, Opal is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 740 of their 740 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Opal
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Opal and names like it
- Compare Opal and OpelBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sOpal peaked in 1918.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Opal since 1910.
- English namesWiktionary’s origin for Opal: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Opal.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Opal alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with OMost given first.