Cora
Cora was the 113th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,428 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 15th; the most babies were born in 2019 (3,602). Over the last ten years it has moved down 25 places. More babies were named Cora in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning maiden (probably) · Greek
Say it KOR-uh /ˈkɔrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #113 girls, down 25 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,428girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20193,602 babies
- Total since 1880
- 156,415babies recorded
What does the name Cora mean?
Cora is usually connected with the Greek kore, 'young girl, maiden', which was also a title of the goddess Persephone; DMNES gives this derivation. Wiktionary notes that the name was brought into English literature by James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826), whose heroine is Cora Munro, and that a heroine named Cora appears in a French novel of 1777. Wikipedia adds a rare Irish source, cora, 'just, virtuous'. Corinne and Coralie are related French forms.
κόρη (Ancient Greek, “young girl, maiden”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Greek 'maiden' link is standard, but the modern name's spread owes much to literature and the exact route is not documented.
Related names: Corinne, Corrine, Kora, Coralie.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Cora', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cora', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Cora (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Cora popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 387 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #113 | 2,428 |
| 2020 | #88 | 3,036 |
| 2010 | #275 | 1,206 |
| 2000 | #481 | 564 |
| 1990 | #856 | 230 |
| 1980 | #770 | 214 |
| 1970 | #678 | 234 |
| 1960 | #460 | 454 |
| 1950 | #289 | 734 |
| 1940 | #191 | 965 |
| 1930 | #161 | 1,272 |
| 1920 | #137 | 1,819 |
| 1910 | #85 | 1,079 |
| 1900 | #55 | 1,389 |
| 1890 | #36 | 1,386 |
| 1880 | #15 | 1,045 |
How popular is Cora, counting every spelling?
Cora is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #97 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #113 for Cora on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,230 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cora | 2,428 | #113 | 13,843 |
| Kora | 603 | #491 | 3,101 |
| Korra | 153 | #1,421 | 990 |
| Korah | 25 | #5,163 | 141 |
| Corah | 14 | #7,574 | 69 |
| Corra | 7 | #12,188 | 66 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cora?
2,428 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cora (0.67 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cora born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cora.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cora?
About 74,500 people born in the US named Cora are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 39. That makes Cora mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cora by state
How common Cora was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (3.8×), South Dakota (3.2×), Rhode Island (3.0×), District of Columbia (2.9×), New Hampshire (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Texas, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cora: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cora, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cora · Sibling names for Cora
Cora is also a nickname for Coraline.
Questions about the name Cora
What does Cora mean?
Cora means “maiden (probably)” (Greek origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Cora?
Cora was the 113th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,428 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 15th; the most babies were born in 2019 (3,602). Over the last ten years it has moved down 25 places. More babies were named Cora in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cora a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cora in the US.
Where is Cora most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cora was most common in North Dakota (6.54 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Dakota and Rhode Island.