Skip to content

The first name Opal

A girl’s name.

2 syllables Female

Meaning and origin

A unisex given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.

From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Popularity

Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

In 2025, 63 girls were named Opal, making it the 622nd most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 74 births (#526).

04080 1996200020052010201520202025
503
babies named Opal, 1996–2025
#622
rank in 2025
2024
peak year

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Opal with other names.

Popularity in the United States

Babies named Opal at birth, 1880–2025

In 2025, 740 girls born in the United States were named Opal, the 423rd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 2,847 were.

01,5003,000 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
74,257
babies named Opal since 1880
#423
rank in 2025
1918
peak year

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

Famous people named Opal

2 on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Janet Asimov
    Author, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst (1926–2019)
  • Ayọ Tometi
    American human rights activist, born 1984

Questions

How popular is the name Opal?
In 2025, 63 girls born in England and Wales were named Opal, ranking 622nd. Its peak was 2024, with 74 births.
Is Opal a boy's or a girl's name?
Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 74,257 US babies named Opal since 1880 were girls.
When was Opal most popular?
1918 in the United States, when 2,847 babies were named Opal, its highest rank at 94th.