Opie
Masculine
Opie is given to both — 707 boys and 99 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Opie is a Cornish surname and an American nickname, and it reached most Americans through a small boy in a television series set in a fictional North Carolina town.
How old is the name Opie?
Opie first appears in US birth records in 1904 — 121 years ago. The typical Opie is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 500 people named Opie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Opie most popular?
Opie peaked in 1904, reaching #1205 nationally. Today it ranks #3757, 2,552 places below that high. See the whole 1904 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Opie
Ours, offered as ours. Opie is a genuine Cornish surname — the Opies of Cornwall include an eighteenth-century portrait painter and a twentieth-century pair of folklorists who collected children's rhymes and games across Britain. That last is a pleasant thing for a name to be attached to. Its American life is separate: a television series of the 1960s gave the name to a boy, and it is the reason nearly everyone recognizes it.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Cornish surname Opie is generally traced to a medieval pet form of Osbert or Osbern, Germanic names built on os, a god. Separately Opie functions in American use as an affectionate diminutive of several names. Neither is confirmed for the modern given name.
Pronouncing Opie
OH-pee
Two syllables, first stressed. There is no variation.
Nicknames for Opie
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1904
- Most boys named
- 202250 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1205reached in 1904
- Change vs 2024
- −23.7%29 in 2025, from 38
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Opie in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Opie in Cornish — same name
- Osbert in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Tennessee, California, Ohio.
Opies among us
people named Opie are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 58,899 born in 2025 was named Opie
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Opie sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Opie is headed
Opie should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Opie beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Opie in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A genuine Cornish surname with a documented history behind it.
- Four letters and two syllables, very quick to write.
- Warm and immediately friendly, and understood by everyone.
- The television association is total for Americans over fifty.
- It reads as a nickname to most people, which may matter on a formal document.
- There is no documented meaning for the given name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Opie to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Opie? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Opie
Masculine · #3757 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Opies are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Opie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Opie in 2025?
- Opie ranks #3757 among US boy names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Opie?
- About 1 in every 58,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Opie — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Opie with classmates?
- Opie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Opie
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stanton#3757 · Reymundo#3757 · Greer#3757 · Zaven#3757 · Kelson#3757 · Javin#3757 · Faizan#3757 · Wilfred#3757
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Opie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Opie and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle