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
- Peak · girls
- 1911 · 1,190 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 16 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 73,539since 1880
Opal over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #423 | 740 | — | |
| 2024 | #449 | 696 | — | |
| 2023 | #485 | 631 | — | |
| 2022 | #524 | 595 | — | |
| 2021 | #545 | 562 | — | |
| 2020 | #648 | 445 | — | |
| 2019 | #680 | 427 | — | |
| 2018 | #807 | 337 | — | |
| 2017 | #847 | 321 | — | |
| 2016 | #1,012 | 261 | — | |
| 2015 | #1,110 | 233 | — | |
| 2014 | #1,301 | 183 | — | |
| 2013 | #1,684 | 125 | — | |
| 2012 | #1,904 | 105 | — | |
| 2011 | #2,073 | 93 | — | |
| 2010 | #2,313 | 82 | — | |
| 2009 | #2,465 | 77 | — | |
| 2008 | #2,253 | 87 | — | |
| 2007 | #2,647 | 69 | — | |
| 2006 | #2,375 | 79 | — | |
| 2005 | #3,509 | 42 | — | |
| 2004 | #2,711 | 60 | — | |
| 2003 | #3,590 | 39 | — | |
| 2002 | #3,523 | 38 | — | |
| 2001 | #3,631 | 36 | — | |
| 2000 | #3,886 | 32 | — | |
| 1999 | #4,576 | 24 | — | |
| 1998 | #3,173 | 39 | — | |
| 1997 | #3,302 | 35 | — | |
| 1996 | #3,942 | 27 | — | |
| 1995 | #4,846 | 20 | — | |
| 1994 | #3,704 | 29 | — | |
| 1993 | #3,290 | 34 | — | |
| 1992 | #3,680 | 29 | — | |
| 1991 | #3,443 | 31 | — | |
| 1990 | #3,078 | 36 | — | |
| 1989 | #2,931 | 37 | — | |
| 1988 | #2,274 | 49 | — | |
| 1987 | #2,065 | 53 | — | |
| 1986 | #1,980 | 55 | — | |
| 1985 | #2,137 | 49 | — | |
| 1984 | #2,050 | 49 | — | |
| 1983 | #1,961 | 52 | — | |
| 1982 | #1,900 | 56 | — | |
| 1981 | #1,767 | 63 | — | |
| 1980 | #1,735 | 64 | — | |
| 1979 | #1,503 | 78 | — | |
| 1978 | #1,558 | 70 | — | |
| 1977 | #1,637 | 64 | — | |
| 1976 | #1,316 | 82 | — | |
| 1975 | #1,544 | 65 | — | |
| 1974 | #1,399 | 73 | — | |
| 1973 | #1,496 | 63 | — | |
| 1972 | #1,488 | 64 | — | |
| 1971 | #1,336 | 80 | — | |
| 1970 | #1,518 | 65 | — | |
| 1969 | #1,355 | 71 | — | |
| 1968 | #1,279 | 74 | — | |
| 1967 | #1,239 | 74 | — | |
| 1966 | #1,273 | 72 | — | |
| 1965 | #1,135 | 87 | — | |
| 1964 | #1,172 | 88 | — | |
| 1963 | #1,104 | 97 | — | |
| 1962 | #1,090 | 99 | — | |
| 1961 | #1,083 | 102 | — | |
| 1960 | #920 | 133 | — | |
| 1959 | #971 | 118 | — | |
| 1958 | #973 | 113 | — | |
| 1957 | #812 | 155 | — | |
| 1956 | #806 | 152 | — | |
| 1955 | #687 | 186 | — | |
| 1954 | #708 | 170 | — | |
| 1953 | #643 | 193 | — | |
| 1952 | #620 | 201 | — | |
| 1951 | #580 | 217 | — | |
| 1950 | #584 | 207 | — | |
| 1949 | #487 | 271 | — | |
| 1948 | #507 | 260 | — | |
| 1947 | #431 | 356 | — | |
| 1946 | #424 | 330 | — | |
| 1945 | #383 | 337 | — | |
| 1944 | #343 | 400 | #3,430 | 5 |
| 1943 | #341 | 436 | — | |
| 1942 | #327 | 447 | #3,212 | 6 |
| 1941 | #315 | 434 | — | |
| 1940 | #273 | 521 | — | |
| 1939 | #262 | 557 | #2,609 | 8 |
| 1938 | #263 | 579 | #2,084 | 12 |
| 1937 | #254 | 620 | #2,332 | 10 |
| 1936 | #231 | 706 | #1,964 | 13 |
| 1935 | #219 | 777 | #2,396 | 10 |
| 1934 | #199 | 892 | #1,932 | 14 |
| 1933 | #182 | 931 | #3,642 | 5 |
| 1932 | #179 | 1,052 | #1,777 | 17 |
| 1931 | #171 | 1,088 | #1,770 | 17 |
| 1930 | #156 | 1,327 | #2,178 | 13 |
| 1929 | #150 | 1,452 | #1,793 | 18 |
| 1928 | #146 | 1,591 | #1,413 | 27 |
| 1927 | #141 | 1,738 | #1,692 | 21 |
| 1926 | #129 | 2,027 | #1,565 | 23 |
| 1925 | #129 | 2,108 | #1,583 | 23 |
| 1924 | #120 | 2,284 | #1,532 | 25 |
| 1923 | #113 | 2,365 | #1,460 | 26 |
| 1922 | #108 | 2,562 | #1,308 | 31 |
| 1921 | #103 | 2,713 | #1,360 | 30 |
| 1920 | #101 | 2,702 | #1,300 | 31 |
| 1919 | #98 | 2,652 | #1,449 | 25 |
| 1918 | #94 | 2,847 | #1,094 | 39 |
| 1917 | #95 | 2,541 | #1,222 | 31 |
| 1916 | #91 | 2,636 | #1,072 | 36 |
| 1915 | #90 | 2,482 | #1,241 | 28 |
| 1914 | #89 | 1,893 | #1,153 | 25 |
| 1913 | #86 | 1,629 | #1,075 | 22 |
| 1912 | #85 | 1,465 | #1,023 | 20 |
| 1911 | #81 | 1,190 | #856 | 15 |
| 1910 | #87 | 1,051 | #782 | 15 |
| 1909 | #82 | 1,028 | #1,083 | 8 |
| 1908 | #84 | 955 | #877 | 10 |
| 1907 | #86 | 889 | #815 | 11 |
| 1906 | #95 | 718 | #852 | 9 |
| 1905 | #99 | 702 | — | |
| 1904 | #100 | 621 | #1,064 | 6 |
| 1903 | #106 | 542 | #1,009 | 6 |
| 1902 | #117 | 498 | #862 | 8 |
| 1901 | #125 | 406 | #858 | 7 |
| 1900 | #140 | 432 | — | |
| 1899 | #161 | 278 | — | |
| 1898 | #177 | 262 | — | |
| 1897 | #182 | 230 | #1,057 | 5 |
| 1896 | #204 | 186 | #900 | 7 |
| 1895 | #216 | 158 | — | |
| 1894 | #209 | 164 | — | |
| 1893 | #236 | 123 | — | |
| 1892 | #255 | 107 | — | |
| 1891 | #282 | 78 | — | |
| 1890 | #280 | 80 | — | |
| 1889 | #294 | 67 | — | |
| 1888 | #333 | 52 | — | |
| 1887 | #337 | 40 | — | |
| 1886 | #406 | 28 | — | |
| 1885 | #365 | 31 | — | |
| 1884 | #377 | 28 | — | |
| 1883 | #480 | 16 | — | |
| 1882 | #507 | 13 | — | |
| 1881 | #447 | 14 | — | |
| 1880 | #836 | 5 | — | |
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 1936
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
- West Virginia#78 · 1 in 353
- Kentucky#89 · 1 in 390
- Tennessee#104 · 1 in 472
- Oklahoma#118 · 1 in 499
- Missouri#126 · 1 in 601
Best ever in a state: #7 in Oklahoma, 1910.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | #78 | 52 | 1 in 353 |
| Kentucky | #89 | 66 | 1 in 390 |
| Tennessee | #104 | 56 | 1 in 472 |
| Oklahoma | #118 | 40 | 1 in 499 |
| Missouri | #126 | 43 | 1 in 601 |
| Kansas | #131 | 20 | 1 in 622 |
| Georgia | #142 | 47 | 1 in 625 |
| Arkansas | #151 | 27 | 1 in 641 |
| Virginia | #154 | 31 | 1 in 733 |
| Idaho | #164 | 5 | 1 in 753 |
| Alabama | #171 | 38 | 1 in 746 |
| Arizona | #174 | 6 | 1 in 665 |
| Texas | #183 | 65 | 1 in 844 |
| Iowa | #189 | 13 | 1 in 1,429 |
| Mississippi | #197 | 23 | 1 in 926 |
| Nebraska | #223 | 6 | 1 in 1,630 |
| Colorado | #227 | 6 | 1 in 1,319 |
| Louisiana | #231 | 18 | 1 in 1,138 |
| Indiana | #234 | 11 | 1 in 2,108 |
| Florida | #240 | 10 | 1 in 1,259 |
| North Carolina | #241 | 21 | 1 in 1,697 |
| Ohio | #243 | 20 | 1 in 2,345 |
| Illinois | #291 | 18 | 1 in 2,808 |
| South Carolina | #358 | 6 | 1 in 3,328 |
| Michigan | #367 | 8 | 1 in 4,845 |
| California | #369 | 11 | 1 in 3,347 |
| Pennsylvania | #396 | 12 | 1 in 5,921 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Connecticut | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Maryland | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — |
| Minnesota | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Jersey | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| New York | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| Oregon | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Utah | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Washington | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Opal
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1911 at #81 (1,190 births)
- Births halved by 1938, 27 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 16 yrs · run 1904–1919
- Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1880–1960
- 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
- 29.3% of all girls named Opal (21,542) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 294 | #294 (1889) | #438 |
| 1890s | 1,666 | #161 (1899) | #220 |
| 1900s | 6,791 | #82 (1909) | #103 |
| 1910s | 20,386 | #81 (1911) | #90 |
| 1920s | 21,542 | #101 (1920) | #124 |
| 1930s | 8,529 | #156 (1930) | #212 |
| 1940s | 3,792 | #273 (1940) | #383 |
| 1950s | 1,712 | #580 (1951) | #738 |
| 1960s | 897 | #920 (1960) | #1,165 |
| 1970s | 704 | #1,316 (1976) | #1,480 |
| 1980s | 527 | #1,735 (1980) | #2,080 |
| 1990s | 304 | #3,078 (1990) | #3,703 |
| 2000s | 559 | #2,253 (2008) | #3,059 |
| 2010s | 2,167 | #680 (2019) | #1,373 |
| 2020s | 3,669 | #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 1936
Top girls' names in 1936
Top boys' names in 1936
More about 1936
girls
1,040,390 girls got a published name in 1936; 1 in 1,474 of them was named Opal, which outranked 95.2% of the 4,856 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- ↓ 1,028Norita#713 → #1,741
- ↓ 506Vernetta#974 → #1,480
- ↓ 461Ozella#984 → #1,445
- ↓ 400Shirleyann#896 → #1,296
- ↓ 342Idell#925 → #1,267
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,037,205 boys got a published name in 1936; 1 in 79,785 of them was named Opal, which outranked 51.4% of the 4,037 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #1,872Woodroe14
- #1,872Woodson14
- #1,872Wright14
- #1,964Opal13
- #1,964Alvino13
- #1,964Archer13
- #1,964Audry13
- #2,062Ace12
- #2,062Alfonse12
- #2,062Almond12
Tied with 97 names at #1,964; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.