Girls' name · since 1880
Opal
Opal has 73,539 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #465 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #423 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 73,539
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
73,539 babies have been named Opal since 1880, making it today's #423 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Opal recorded 73,539 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #423 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #465 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #423 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 73,539 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Opal ranks #465 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #423 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 73,539 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #465 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #423 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 73,539
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Opal's 73,539 recorded births place it above 99.35% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Opal compares
73,539 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Opal's all-time total is 196x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Opal | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 73,539 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,847 | 21 | 19,840 |
Opal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Opal's full recorded timeline at 1953, 13% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 87% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 2,847 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Opal popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 2,847
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Opal popularity over time - boys
718 total births recorded since 1896 (Opal as boys' name)
Opal by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (21,542 births, 29% of the file).
1920s was Opal's strongest decade.
21,542 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Opal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 294
1880s
294 births
- 1890s 1,666
1890s
1,666 births
- 1900s 6,791
1900s
6,791 births
- 1910s
1910s
20,386 births
- 1920s
1920s
21,542 births
- 1930s 8,529
1930s
8,529 births
- 1940s 3,792
1940s
3,792 births
- 1950s 1,712
1950s
1,712 births
- 1960s 897
1960s
897 births
- 1970s 704
1970s
704 births
- 1980s 527
1980s
527 births
- 1990s 304
1990s
304 births
- 2000s 559
2000s
559 births
- 2010s 2,167
2010s
2,167 births
- 2020s 3,669
2020s
3,669 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 21,542 births (29% of all-time use).
How Opal compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Opal's total volume
Opal by state
Where Opal concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,595 | 9.0% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 5,305 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Kentucky | | 4,970 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 4,255 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Arkansas | | 3,464 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 3,119 | 4.2% |
| #7 | West Virginia | | 3,091 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 2,650 | 3.6% |
6,595 of 73,539 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Opal appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Opal? ▼
Where does Opal sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Opal most popular? ▼
Where is Opal most popular? ▼
How long has the name Opal been used? ▼
What names are similar to Opal? ▼
What to do with Opal's data
- Opal's decade-level peak was the 1920s (21,542 total births); usage has since declined to 3,669 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Opals (6,595 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Opal
Nearby Names Like Opal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Opal
Compare Opal side by side: Opal vs Opaline Opal vs Opalene Opal vs Opalee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Opal
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Opal: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Opal draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.