Opal

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

An Opal is a gemstone that contains many iridescent colors. It is most commonly found in Australia, and a myth from the Aborigines of Australia gives this explanation for the unusual stone: “...the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring the message of peace to all the humans. And at the very spot, where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow. That was the birth of the Opals.” ^[1]

The name Opal comes from the Sanskrit word “upala,” which means precious or valuable stone. ^[1] It was adapted to the Greek as “opallios,” and to Latin as “opalus,” and ultimately entered the English language as Opal around 1586. ^[1]

POPULARITY

Jewel names, such as Pearl or Ruby, became popular in the 19th century, but Opal was not one of the more fashionable of these names. ^[1]

Opal has not appeared in the top 1000 baby names since 1960, when it ranked at number 920. Popularity dropped substantially in the 1950s, though popularity had been in decline for several decades. The name Opal saw the height of its popularity in 1911, when it ranked at number 81. ^[1]

Opal was occasionally used as a boy’s name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it was never as common for boys. In 1911, it ranked as number 885, but it has not appeared on the boy’s chart since then. ^[1]

Opal has maintained a bit more popularity in Australia. In 1997, it ranked at number 679. ^[1] This is hardly surprising, considering that Australia is the “classical Opal country”! ^[1]

FACTS

• The Opal is the birthstone for the month of October, so Opal may be an appropriate name for October-born babies. ^[1]
• Opals are associated with the zodiac signs Cancer, Scorpio and Aries. The former two are water signs, which is significant because Opals must retain a proper level of moisture or they will break. ^[1]

NAMESAKES

• Opal, Virginia
• Opal, Wyoming
• Opal, Xinjiang, China
• The Opals: nickname for the Australia Women’s National Basketball Team.
• Hurricane Opal: category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in 1995. ^[1]
• OPAL: Online Programming for All Libraries
• Fictional Characters:
  • Opal Koboi, from the Artemis Fowl series

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Opal Anchel: actress
• Opal Bush: Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleader
• Opal Hill: professional golfer

NOTES

OTHER OPAL'S

Opal Smith, Opal Johnson, Opal Williams, Opal Jones, Opal Brown, Opal Davis, Opal Miller, Opal Wilson, Opal Moore, Opal Taylor, Opal Palmer, Opal Aaron, Opal Abbink, Opal Abell, Opal Abernathy, Opal Ableidinger, Opal Abraham, Opal Abrams, Opal Abreu, Opal Acton, Opal Aday, Opal Adisa, Opal Adkins, Opal Adkison, Opal Adlard, Opal Abben, Opal Abercrombie, Opal Able, Opal Abney, Opal Abruhems, Opal Abshire, Opal Accardo, Opal Ackerman, Opal Acklin, Opal Acord, Opal Adamic, Opal Adams, Opal Adamson, Opal Adcock, Opal Adderley, Opal Addieway, Opal Addis, Opal Addison, Opal Aden, Opal Ader, Opal Adkisson, Opal Aebischer, Opal Agamennone, Opal Ageton, Opal Agnes, More results

Author: Sarena Emily Levinson