girl's name
Opal
OH-pul
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 74,994
the United States
#423
2025 births
Opal means the gem, and it is the only major stone whose name may come from Sanskrit — upala, a precious stone, reaching Greek and Latin through the trade routes rather than from a European root.
- Opal is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 2,886 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 4,480 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Opal over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 294 |
| 1890s | 1,678 |
| 1900s | 6,856 |
| 1910s | 20,642 |
| 1920s | 21,797 |
| 1930s | 8,648 |
| 1940s | 3,803 |
| 1950s | 1,712 |
| 1960s | 897 |
| 1970s | 704 |
| 1980s | 527 |
| 1990s | 304 |
| 2000s | 559 |
| 2010s | 2,167 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,669 |
What Opal means
Opal means the gemstone. It is the ordinary English word for it, used unchanged as a name, so the meaning is exact rather than reconstructed.
Where Opal comes from
Opal is the English name of the stone, from the Latin opalus and Greek opallios, which are usually traced to the Sanskrit upala, a stone or gem — one of very few gem names to have traveled from India rather than out of Greek or Latin. Opals were valued for the play of color inside them, which Pliny describes admiringly. The name belongs to the Victorian gemstone fashion alongside Pearl, Ruby and Beryl, and our data marks it reviving.
Opal in use
Opal peaked in the United States in 1918, when 2,886 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 423rd in the United States on 740 births, 625th in England and Wales on 62 and 911th in Scotland, across 74,994 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Pearl, in the same Victorian gemstone set, is also reviving and charts in all six.
How popular is Opal?
In 2025, Opal was given to 740 babies in the United States, ranking #423 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Opal is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Opal
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Opal also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Opal over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Opal in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Opal
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Opal — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Opal
What does the name Opal mean?
The gemstone — the ordinary English word, used unchanged.
Is opal a Sanskrit word?
Probably. It is usually traced to upala, a stone, which reached Greek and Latin through trade.
Is Opal related to Pearl?
By fashion rather than root — both belong to the Victorian gemstone set, and both are reviving.
Is Opal coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 423rd in the United States.
How popular is the name Opal?
In 2025, Opal was given to 740 babies in the United States, ranking #423 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Opal a girl's or a boy's name?
Opal is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Opal?
Opal has 2 syllables.
When was Opal most popular?
Opal peaked in 1918, when 2,886 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Opal a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Opal currently ranks #423 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.