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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201916peak #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.

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 1916

girls
#91
2,636 births · 1 in 396 girls
boys
#1,072
36 births · 1 in 24,724 boys

Top girls' names in 1916

  1. #1Mary61,438
  2. #2Helen32,661
  3. #3Dorothy27,418
  4. #4Margaret24,953
  5. #5Ruth23,189
  6. #6Mildred15,633
  7. #7Anna15,228
  8. #8Elizabeth14,940
  9. #9Frances13,746
  10. #10Virginia12,487
  11. #91Opal2,636

Top boys' names in 1916

  1. #1John50,043
  2. #2William40,418
  3. #3James35,569
  4. #4Robert31,741
  5. #5Joseph23,883
  6. #6Charles23,612
  7. #7George23,381
  8. #8Edward17,005
  9. #9Frank15,291
  10. #10Thomas11,998
  11. #1,072Opal36
More about 1916

girls

1,044,334 girls got a published name in 1916; 1 in 396 of them was named Opal, which outranked 98.2% of the 5,161 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Opal
  1. #88Lillie2,825
  2. #89Blanche2,714
  3. #90Juanita2,644
  4. #91Opal2,636
  5. #92Mae2,607
  6. #93Mattie2,556
  7. #94Geraldine2,549
Biggest movers since 1915
Risers
  1. 567Trinidad#1,317#750
  2. 388Coral#1,367#979
  3. 377Coletta#1,317#940
  4. 370Clifford#1,285#915
  5. 327Maida#1,231#904
Fallers
  1. 364Louis#934#1,298
  2. 354Herminia#944#1,298
  3. 346Gertha#900#1,246
  4. 344Lahoma#934#1,278
  5. 310Hassie#900#1,210

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

boys

890,080 boys got a published name in 1916; 1 in 24,724 of them was named Opal, which outranked 76.4% of the 4,535 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Opal
  1. #1,058Sim37
  2. #1,058Washington37
  3. #1,058Zack37
  4. #1,072Opal36
  5. #1,072Alec36
  6. #1,072Bryce36
  7. #1,072Clell36
  8. #1,096Alcide35
  9. #1,096Anna35
  10. #1,096Boris35

Tied with 23 names at #1,072; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1915
Risers
  1. 2,568Tatsuo#3,392#824
  2. 1,088Hughes#1,878#790
  3. 410Angel#1,181#771
  4. 378Trinidad#1,181#803
  5. 354Rolla#1,306#952
Fallers
  1. 500Nicolas#804#1,304
  2. 468Collins#906#1,374
  3. 463Hilliard#952#1,415
  4. 383Arvo#952#1,335
  5. 363Rayford#941#1,304

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

See the top 100 for 1916