Opal
Girl name · #423 in 2025 · Uniqueness 34/100
Opal is currently the #423 girl name in the United States — 740 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1110, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,432 girls born in 2025 was named Opal.
The 145-year story
Opal first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 2,847 girls were named Opal — good for #94 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Opal per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Opal against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Opal in class?
Opal scores 34 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Opal is most common
Geography matters for names, and Opal is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Opals were CA (45), TX (41), WA (32), FL (31), OH (31). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Opal
Statistically, parents drawn to Opal tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cleo, Mabel, Leona, Mae, and Hattie.
CleoMabelLeonaMaeHattieLottieFloraNellie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Opal | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 740 | #423 |
| 2024 | 696 | #449 |
| 2023 | 631 | #485 |
| 2022 | 595 | #524 |
| 2021 | 562 | #545 |
| 2020 | 445 | #648 |
| 2019 | 427 | #680 |
| 2018 | 337 | #807 |
| 2017 | 321 | #847 |
| 2016 | 261 | #1012 |
| 2015 | 233 | #1110 |
| 2014 | 183 | #1301 |
| 2013 | 125 | #1684 |
| 2012 | 105 | #1904 |
| 2011 | 93 | #2073 |
| 2010 | 82 | #2313 |
| 2009 | 77 | #2465 |
| 2008 | 87 | #2253 |
| 2007 | 69 | #2647 |
| 2006 | 79 | #2375 |
| 2005 | 42 | #3509 |
| 2004 | 60 | #2711 |
| 2003 | 39 | #3590 |
| 2002 | 38 | #3523 |
| 2001 | 36 | #3631 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Opal a popular girl name?
Opal ranked #423 among girls in 2025 with 740 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #1110.
When was the name Opal most popular?
Opal peaked in 1918, when 2,847 American girls received the name (ranked #94 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Opal?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,432 newborn American girls was named Opal. It scores 34/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.