Cora is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cora means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cora across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cora has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cora is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “maiden”. possibly coined by James Fenimore Cooper.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 156,415 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,496 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 857 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 978 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,911 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 99 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Cora per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2019 (3,602/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (373/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2023 (70/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2024 (66/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2021 (56/yr).
Cora has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2019, when it ranked #180 nationally (given to 4,064 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2010s.
Corey · Cory · Kara · Cara · Kyra · Kira · Cary · Cari
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