Ophelia
Ophelia was given to 1,183 girls in 2025, #264 among girls’ names; 25,785 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 14,800 Americans named Ophelia and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (57% of everyone recorded); the median is 8 years old and half are between 4 and 32.
Ophelia came back: it left the girls’ top 1,000 after 1958 and returned in 2015.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ophelia by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ophelia mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ophelia is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the sense “help, aid, succour” (ὠφέλειᾰ).
Borrowed from Italian Ofelia, coined by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro in his poem Arcadia (1504), probably from the Ancient Greek ὠφέλειᾰ (ōphéleiă, “help, aid, succour”). The name was used by William Shakespeare for the daugher of Polonius and ill-fated love interest of Hamlet. The moon (of Uranus) is named after this character. Doublet of anopheles
/oʊˈfi.əl.jə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ophelia?
#264 among girls’ names, 2025
Ophelia rose from #980 in 2015 to #264 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.15 to 0.74 per 1,000.
1,223 babies in 2024, the peak
Ophelia peaked in 2024, when 1,223 girls were given it, #259 among girls’ names. The 1,183 births of 2025 are 97% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,183 | #264 | 0.74 |
| 2024 | 1,223 | #259 | 0.75 |
| 2023 | 1,177 | #265 | 0.73 |
| 2022 | 1,169 | #271 | 0.71 |
| 2021 | 1,014 | #321 | 0.62 |
| 2020 | 794 | #391 | 0.49 |
| 2019 | 813 | #385 | 0.48 |
| 2018 | 839 | #373 | 0.49 |
| 2017 | 765 | #417 | 0.44 |
| 2016 | 533 | #582 | 0.30 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 276 | #980 | 0.15 |
| 2014 | 226 | #1,122 | 0.13 |
| 2013 | 185 | #1,280 | 0.11 |
| 2012 | 139 | #1,573 | 0.08 |
| 2011 | 109 | #1,850 | 0.06 |
| 2010 | 96 | #2,072 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 76 | #2,501 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 101 | #2,048 | 0.05 |
| 2007 | 66 | #2,778 | 0.03 |
| 2006 | 47 | #3,455 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 43 | #3,484 | 0.02 |
| 2004 | 33 | #4,250 | 0.02 |
| 2003 | 37 | #3,789 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 32 | #4,045 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 18 | #6,244 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 21 | #5,443 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 27 | #4,271 | 0.02 |
| 1998 | 28 | #4,106 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 25 | #4,336 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 29 | #3,796 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 22 | #4,636 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 27 | #3,973 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 26 | #4,068 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 17 | #5,647 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 24 | #4,293 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 27 | #3,874 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 19 | #4,795 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 21 | #4,266 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 25 | #3,597 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 45 | #2,290 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 35 | #2,737 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 30 | #2,973 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 24 | #3,399 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 35 | #2,682 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 34 | #2,702 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 27 | #3,189 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 36 | #2,564 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 35 | #2,502 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 32 | #2,646 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 36 | #2,326 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 38 | #2,223 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 31 | #2,479 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 44 | #1,905 | 0.03 |
| 1972 | 56 | #1,619 | 0.04 |
| 1971 | 39 | #2,132 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 50 | #1,796 | 0.03 |
| 1969 | 55 | #1,625 | 0.03 |
| 1968 | 53 | #1,590 | 0.03 |
| 1967 | 55 | #1,520 | 0.03 |
| 1966 | 66 | #1,344 | 0.04 |
| 1965 | 67 | #1,343 | 0.04 |
| 1964 | 72 | #1,329 | 0.04 |
| 1963 | 75 | #1,275 | 0.04 |
| 1962 | 87 | #1,182 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 87 | #1,189 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 103 | #1,059 | 0.05 |
| 1959 | 105 | #1,043 | 0.05 |
| 1958 | 133 | #885 | 0.07 |
| 1957 | 133 | #885 | 0.07 |
| 1956 | 121 | #919 | 0.06 |
| 1955 | 111 | #934 | 0.06 |
| 1954 | 158 | #736 | 0.08 |
| 1953 | 159 | #720 | 0.08 |
| 1952 | 133 | #780 | 0.07 |
| 1951 | 163 | #684 | 0.09 |
| 1950 | 172 | #650 | 0.10 |
| 1949 | 139 | #719 | 0.08 |
| 1948 | 141 | #705 | 0.08 |
| 1947 | 146 | #701 | 0.08 |
| 1946 | 115 | #768 | 0.07 |
| 1945 | 119 | #685 | 0.09 |
| 1944 | 140 | #620 | 0.11 |
| 1943 | 165 | #587 | 0.12 |
| 1942 | 147 | #619 | 0.11 |
| 1941 | 131 | #619 | 0.11 |
| 1940 | 149 | #570 | 0.13 |
| 1939 | 144 | #562 | 0.13 |
| 1938 | 167 | #524 | 0.15 |
| 1937 | 184 | #482 | 0.17 |
| 1936 | 171 | #493 | 0.16 |
| 1935 | 186 | #468 | 0.18 |
| 1934 | 196 | #461 | 0.19 |
| 1933 | 211 | #445 | 0.21 |
| 1932 | 237 | #427 | 0.22 |
| 1931 | 201 | #455 | 0.19 |
| 1930 | 251 | #416 | 0.22 |
| 1929 | 255 | #417 | 0.23 |
| 1928 | 283 | #400 | 0.25 |
| 1927 | 311 | #387 | 0.26 |
| 1926 | 314 | #385 | 0.26 |
| 1925 | 364 | #358 | 0.30 |
| 1924 | 362 | #360 | 0.29 |
| 1923 | 323 | #370 | 0.27 |
| 1922 | 364 | #341 | 0.30 |
| 1921 | 347 | #353 | 0.28 |
| 1920 | 353 | #348 | 0.29 |
| 1919 | 331 | #353 | 0.29 |
| 1918 | 313 | #366 | 0.27 |
| 1917 | 285 | #375 | 0.26 |
| 1916 | 266 | #385 | 0.25 |
| 1915 | 260 | #376 | 0.26 |
| 1914 | 224 | #355 | 0.29 |
| 1913 | 187 | #353 | 0.30 |
| 1912 | 208 | #317 | 0.37 |
| 1911 | 129 | #355 | 0.31 |
| 1910 | 169 | #297 | 0.43 |
| 1909 | 160 | #284 | 0.46 |
| 1908 | 124 | #318 | 0.37 |
| 1907 | 132 | #305 | 0.41 |
| 1906 | 120 | #307 | 0.41 |
| 1905 | 125 | #299 | 0.43 |
| 1904 | 109 | #310 | 0.40 |
| 1903 | 122 | #286 | 0.47 |
| 1902 | 95 | #320 | 0.36 |
| 1901 | 99 | #303 | 0.41 |
| 1900 | 150 | #268 | 0.50 |
| 1899 | 112 | #271 | 0.48 |
| 1898 | 99 | #316 | 0.38 |
| 1897 | 103 | #280 | 0.44 |
| 1896 | 79 | #329 | 0.33 |
| 1895 | 91 | #304 | 0.39 |
| 1894 | 77 | #320 | 0.35 |
| 1893 | 89 | #284 | 0.42 |
| 1892 | 101 | #265 | 0.48 |
| 1891 | 83 | #273 | 0.45 |
| 1890 | 65 | #313 | 0.34 |
| 1889 | 75 | #275 | 0.42 |
| 1888 | 81 | #258 | 0.45 |
| 1887 | 70 | #251 | 0.48 |
| 1886 | 60 | #269 | 0.42 |
| 1885 | 51 | #278 | 0.38 |
| 1884 | 61 | #251 | 0.47 |
| 1883 | 55 | #242 | 0.49 |
| 1882 | 56 | #232 | 0.52 |
| 1881 | 27 | #308 | 0.29 |
| 1880 | 44 | #236 | 0.48 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Ophelia a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ophelia has been given almost only to girls: 15 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Ophelia: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ophelia, and how old are they?
14,800 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 57% of the 25,785 Americans ever recorded as Ophelia. The median Ophelia alive today is 8 years old; half are between 4 and 32.
The 2020 Census counted 9,489 people named Ophelia (9,467 women and girls, 22 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 9,476 born in the U.S. The Census count matches that prediction to within 1%.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 858 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 664 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 427 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 890 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 10,100 |
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 Ophelia born?
The states with the most babies named Ophelia are Texas, California and Florida, with 21% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 108 | #315 | 1.1× |
| California | 80 | #422 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 60 | #311 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 50 | #229 | 0.4× |
| Washington | 45 | #162 | 0.8× |
| New York | 44 | #400 | 0.4× |
| Illinois | 43 | #247 | 0.5× |
| Michigan | 43 | #214 | 0.5× |
| Georgia | 37 | #277 | 1.6× |
| North Carolina | 36 | #309 | 1.4× |
Where Ophelia is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ophelia is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 2.3 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 Ophelia 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 34,782 babies since 1880, Ophelia is the most given (74% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,183 of their 1,270 babies (93%), 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 Ophelia
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 Ophelia and names like it
- Compare Ophelia and OfeliaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sOphelia peaked in 2024.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ophelia since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Ophelia: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2024The year the most babies were named Ophelia.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Ophelia alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with OMost given first.