MEANING & HISTORY
What does Opal mean?
Opal is a gemstone word adopted as a given name in English during the nineteenth century. The Cebuano entry documents borrowing through English, and the name dictionary records use for different genders.
The stone itself is the immediate naming reference. Descriptions such as hope, purity or magical protection may be cultural associations, but they are not established translations of this given-name formation. Opal should be preserved as the recorded form rather than expanded into a different longer name.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
A dictionary pronunciation or syllable division has not been verified for this exact spelling. Use the synthetic reading as a starting point and confirm the intended pronunciation with the family.
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Opal, from opal.
a female given name from English
EnglishEtymology & source
A unisex given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.; A female given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.; A male given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Opal in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Opal
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
Explore similar names →What rhymes with Opal?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Opal further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Opal (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Opal (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.