Opal is a feminine given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

 derived from the name of the gemstone opal

Opal

Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...

. The gemstone is the birthstone for October. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit उपल or upala, which means "jewel. It came into use along with other gemstone names during the late Victorian era

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

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Opal was among the 100 most popular names for girls born in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

from 1900 to 1920 and remained among the top 500 most popular names for girls there until 1950. It was last ranked among the 1,000 most popular names for girls in the United States in the 1950s. It was the 344th most common name for females in the United States in the 1990 census. Eighty girls born in the United States in 2010 were given the name.