Opal

#423 for girls in 2025, 740 births · Last seen for boys in 1944 at #3,430
Given to girls 99.0% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1911 · 1,190 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
16 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
73,539
since 1880

Opal over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201900peak #81, 1911girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#423740—
2024#449696—
2023#485631—
2022#524595—
2021#545562—
2020#648445—
2019#680427—
2018#807337—
2017#847321—
2016#1,012261—
2015#1,110233—
2014#1,301183—
2013#1,684125—
2012#1,904105—
2011#2,07393—
2010#2,31382—
2009#2,46577—
2008#2,25387—
2007#2,64769—
2006#2,37579—
2005#3,50942—
2004#2,71160—
2003#3,59039—
2002#3,52338—
2001#3,63136—
2000#3,88632—
1999#4,57624—
1998#3,17339—
1997#3,30235—
1996#3,94227—
1995#4,84620—
1994#3,70429—
1993#3,29034—
1992#3,68029—
1991#3,44331—
1990#3,07836—
1989#2,93137—
1988#2,27449—
1987#2,06553—
1986#1,98055—
1985#2,13749—
1984#2,05049—
1983#1,96152—
1982#1,90056—
1981#1,76763—
1980#1,73564—
1979#1,50378—
1978#1,55870—
1977#1,63764—
1976#1,31682—
1975#1,54465—
1974#1,39973—
1973#1,49663—
1972#1,48864—
1971#1,33680—
1970#1,51865—
1969#1,35571—
1968#1,27974—
1967#1,23974—
1966#1,27372—
1965#1,13587—
1964#1,17288—
1963#1,10497—
1962#1,09099—
1961#1,083102—
1960#920133—
1959#971118—
1958#973113—
1957#812155—
1956#806152—
1955#687186—
1954#708170—
1953#643193—
1952#620201—
1951#580217—
1950#584207—
1949#487271—
1948#507260—
1947#431356—
1946#424330—
1945#383337—
1944#343400#3,4305
1943#341436—
1942#327447#3,2126
1941#315434—
1940#273521—
1939#262557#2,6098
1938#263579#2,08412
1937#254620#2,33210
1936#231706#1,96413
1935#219777#2,39610
1934#199892#1,93214
1933#182931#3,6425
1932#1791,052#1,77717
1931#1711,088#1,77017
1930#1561,327#2,17813
1929#1501,452#1,79318
1928#1461,591#1,41327
1927#1411,738#1,69221
1926#1292,027#1,56523
1925#1292,108#1,58323
1924#1202,284#1,53225
1923#1132,365#1,46026
1922#1082,562#1,30831
1921#1032,713#1,36030
1920#1012,702#1,30031
1919#982,652#1,44925
1918#942,847#1,09439
1917#952,541#1,22231
1916#912,636#1,07236
1915#902,482#1,24128
1914#891,893#1,15325
1913#861,629#1,07522
1912#851,465#1,02320
1911#811,190#85615
1910#871,051#78215
1909#821,028#1,0838
1908#84955#87710
1907#86889#81511
1906#95718#8529
1905#99702—
1904#100621#1,0646
1903#106542#1,0096
1902#117498#8628
1901#125406#8587
1900#140432—
1899#161278—
1898#177262—
1897#182230#1,0575
1896#204186#9007
1895#216158—
1894#209164—
1893#236123—
1892#255107—
1891#28278—
1890#28080—
1889#29467—
1888#33352—
1887#33740—
1886#40628—
1885#36531—
1884#37728—
1883#48016—
1882#50713—
1881#44714—
1880#8365—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Opal was already there! It came in at #836, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Opal is popular in 1900

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Opal
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 26 spots since 2024 (#449 → #423)
  • 225 spots since 2020 (#648 → #423)
  • 687 spots since 2015 (#1,110 → #423)
  • Biggest jump: 389 spots in 1881 (#836 → #447)
  • Biggest drop: 163 spots in 1961 (#920 → #1,083)
Rise & fade · girls
31 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1911 at #81 (1,190 births)
  • Births halved by 1938, 27 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 16 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 16 yrs · run 1904–1919
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1880–1960
Share of babies · girls
1 in 338
  • Highest: 1 in 338 girls born in 1909 were named Opal (0.30%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,172 girls born in 2025 (0.05%)
  • Its best rank, #81 in 1911, was only 1 in 352 (0.28%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 29.3% of all girls named Opal (21,542) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s294#294 (1889)#438
1890s1,666#161 (1899)#220
1900s6,791#82 (1909)#103
1910s20,386#81 (1911)#90
1920s21,542#101 (1920)#124
1930s8,529#156 (1930)#212
1940s3,792#273 (1940)#383
1950s1,712#580 (1951)#738
1960s897#920 (1960)#1,165
1970s704#1,316 (1976)#1,480
1980s527#1,735 (1980)#2,080
1990s304#3,078 (1990)#3,703
2000s559#2,253 (2008)#3,059
2010s2,167#680 (2019)#1,373
2020s3,669#423 (2025)#512

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Opal in 1900

girls
#140
432 births · 1 in 694 girls

Top girls' names in 1900

  1. #1Mary16,705
  2. #2Helen6,342
  3. #3Anna6,114
  4. #4Margaret5,304
  5. #5Ruth4,765
  6. #6Elizabeth4,096
  7. #7Florence3,920
  8. #8Ethel3,896
  9. #9Marie3,856
  10. #10Lillian3,414
  11. #140Opal432
More about 1900

girls

299,784 girls got a published name in 1900; 1 in 694 of them was named Opal, which outranked 93.7% of the 2,223 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 19.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Opal
  1. #136Sylvia446
  2. #138Eula437
  3. #138Mollie437
  4. #140Opal432
  5. #141Velma426
  6. #142Genevieve420
  7. #143Verna412
Biggest movers since 1899
Risers
  1. ↑ 940Rosia#1,596 → #656
  2. ↑ 763Josiephine#1,596 → #833
  3. ↑ 763Lelar#1,596 → #833
  4. ↑ 736Carmel#1,596 → #860
  5. ↑ 722Gloria#1,278 → #556
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,204Irva#728 → #1,932
  2. ↓ 1,026Dellie#906 → #1,932
  3. ↓ 1,026Marybelle#906 → #1,932
  4. ↓ 949Sada#983 → #1,932
  5. ↓ 949Sidonia#983 → #1,932

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1900 →