Kora
Kora was the 491st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 603 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 465th with 682 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 131 places. More babies were named Kora in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Cora) maiden (probably) · Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #491 girls, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 603girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022682 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,541babies recorded
What does the name Kora mean?
Kora is a spelling of Cora, pronounced the same way, so it shares Cora's meaning and origin.
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
Kora popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #491 | 603 |
| 2020 | #489 | 624 |
| 2010 | #1,323 | 178 |
| 2000 | #2,044 | 81 |
| 1990 | #6,293 | 14 |
| 1980 | #6,527 | 10 |
| 1970 | #7,504 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kora, counting every spelling?
Kora is a spelling of Cora, a name family that ranked #97 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #491 for Kora 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 Kora?
603 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kora (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kora 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 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kora.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kora?
About 9,500 people born in the US named Kora are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 13. That makes Kora a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Kora by state
How common Kora was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (6.4×), Iowa (2.9×), Nebraska (2.8×), Oklahoma (2.1×), Arkansas (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, New York, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kora: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kora, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kora
What does Kora mean?
Kora is a spelling of Cora, which means “maiden (probably)” (Greek origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kora?
Kora was the 491st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 603 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 465th with 682 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 131 places. More babies were named Kora in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kora a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kora in the US.
Where is Kora most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kora was most common in North Dakota (2.44 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Iowa.