Opal
Featured in baby name books
Opal is a gemstone name, traced to Sanskrit or English and meaning “gem” or “precious stone,” with forms like Opaline and Opalina. The Romans prized the iridescent opal as the queen of gems, and with Ruby and Ivy back in fashion, Opal is ripe for a revival. Opal was fairly common around 1900 but has not kept pace with other jewel names like Ruby and Jade.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Book links are affiliate links; we may earn a commission on purchases.
Usage of Opal in different languages / cultures
The list below was created by gathering names from various sources for different languages, and then matching Opal against each list of names.
❌
Albanian
❌
Arabic
❌
Armenian
❌
Bengali
❌
Bulgarian
❌
Catalan
❌
Chinese
❌
Cornish
❌
Croatian
❌
Czech
❌
Danish
❌
Dothraki
❌
Dutch
✅
English
❌
Estonian
✅
Filipino
❌
Finnish
❌
French
❌
Georgian
❌
German
❌
Greek
❌
Hawaiian
❌
Hebrew
✅
Hindi
❌
Hungarian
❌
Icelandic
❌
Indonesian
❌
Irish
❌
Italian
❌
Japanese
❌
Khmer
❌
Klingon
❌
Korean
❌
Latin
❌
Latvian
❌
Lithuanian
❌
Macedonian
❌
Norwegian
❌
Persian
❌
Polish
❌
Portuguese
❌
Romanian
❌
Russian
❌
Scottish
❌
Serbian
❌
Slovak
❌
Slovenian
❌
Spanish
❌
Swahili
❌
Swedish
❌
Telugu
❌
Thai
❌
Turkish
❌
Ukrainian
❌
Vietnamese
❌
Welsh
❌
Yiddish
❌
Yoruba
Note: In some cases it is possible for the check mark to be missing even if Opal is used in a particular country, as almost no source name list has 100% coverage.
Opal in official name statistics
United States
In 2025, 740 girls were named Opal, making it the #423 girls' name in the US. Since 1880, 73,539 girls have been named Opal, with the most (2,847) in 1918. It is most common, relative to births, in Alaska, Montana and South Dakota.
Source: Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year are not listed.
Other countries
| Where | Rank | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | #622 girls | 63 | Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2025 |
| Scotland | #632 girls | 4 | National Records of Scotland (NRS), 2025 |
| Israel | #467 girls (all ages) | 1,123 | Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Israel - from the Population Register, 1949-2024 |
Counts are babies born that year, or living people for "all ages" rows, as published by each country's statistics office or population register.
Storms named Opal
Tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones that have been named Opal, newest first.
| Storm | Year | Ocean | Peak wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoon Opal (Category 2) | 1997 | Western Pacific | 167 km/h |
| Hurricane Opal (Category 4) | 1995 | North Atlantic | 241 km/h |
| Tropical storm Opal | 1976 | Western Pacific | 65 km/h |
| Typhoon Opal (Category 1) | 1973 | Western Pacific | 139 km/h |
| Tropical storm Opal | 1970 | Western Pacific | 93 km/h |
| Typhoon Opal (Category 5) | 1967 | Western Pacific | 287 km/h |
| Typhoon Opal (Category 5) | 1964 | Western Pacific | 315 km/h |
| Typhoon Opal (Category 5) | 1962 | Western Pacific | 269 km/h |
| Tropical storm Opal | 1959 | Western Pacific | 65 km/h |
| Typhoon Opal (Category 2) | 1955 | Western Pacific | 157 km/h |
…and 2 earlier storms.
Source: IBTrACS, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Peak wind is the highest sustained wind recorded for the storm.
Towns named Opal
There are 15 towns and villages with Opal in their name, in 7 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 9🇧🇾 Belarus 1🇨🇦 Canada 1🇨🇳 China 1🇲🇽 Mexico 1🇵🇰 Pakistan 1🇷🇺 Russia 1
| Name | Where | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opal | Virginia, 🇺🇸 United States | 691 | Map |
| Estación Opal | Zacatecas, 🇲🇽 Mexico | 233 | Map |
| Opal | Wyoming, 🇺🇸 United States | 100 | Map |
| Opal | Alberta, 🇨🇦 Canada | – | Map |
| Opal | Xinjiang, 🇨🇳 China | – | Map |
| Opal | Arkansas, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Opal | Arkansas, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Opal | Missouri, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Opal | West Virginia, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Opal | South Dakota, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Lakes named Opal
There are 20 lakes and reservoirs with Opal in their name, in 3 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 13🇨🇦 Canada 6🇳🇿 New Zealand 1
| Name | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| Lac Opal | Quebec, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Lac Opal | Quebec, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Lake Opal | Florida, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Opal | Florida, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Opal Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Opal Lake | Saskatchewan, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Opal Lake | Alberta, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Opal Lake | British Columbia, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Opal Lake | Auckland, 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Map |
| Opal Lake | Michigan, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Fictional characters named Opal
Characters from films and TV series, from Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia.
Character data: Wikidata (CC0). Images: Wikimedia Commons; click an image for its author and licence.
Opal as a pet name
FurryName has found 198 dogs named Opal in public pet registers, making it the #717 dog name there. Most of them are registered in Seattle (16), Victoria (4), Adelaide (1). Opal as a dog name →
FurryName has found 19 cats named Opal in public pet registers, making it the #434 cat name there. Most of them are registered in Seattle (12), Toronto (5), Tacoma (2). Opal as a cat name →
Opal products
☕
Opal name mug
🥤
Opal tumbler
🧢
Opal cap
👕
Opal t-shirt
📿
Opal necklace
💫
Opal bracelet
🔑
Opal keychain
🎄
Opal ornament
🧸
Opal baby blanket
🧩
Opal name puzzle
🖼️
Opal wall sign
🛏️
Opal pillow
Product links are Amazon affiliate links; we may earn a commission on purchases.