Cora
Girl name · #113 in 2025 · Well-known
Cora ranks #113 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 2,428 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #88, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 741 girls born in 2025 was named Cora.
Babies named Cora per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Cora first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 1,045 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2019, when 3,602 girls were named Cora — good for #71 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cora against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cora in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Cora is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Cora is most common
Geography matters for names, and Cora is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Cora is most common in RI (6.9 per 1,000), DC (5 per 1,000), SD (4.9 per 1,000), ME (4.8 per 1,000), ND (4.8 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.9 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Cora is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Cora
Statistically, parents drawn to Cora tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Zara, Eliza, Amira, Arya, and Amara.
ZaraElizaAmiraAryaAmaraAmoraAthenaElora
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cora | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,428 | #113 |
| 2024 | 2,580 | #103 |
| 2023 | 2,751 | #93 |
| 2022 | 3,076 | #75 |
| 2021 | 3,008 | #87 |
| 2020 | 3,036 | #88 |
| 2019 | 3,602 | #71 |
| 2018 | 3,596 | #73 |
| 2017 | 3,446 | #83 |
| 2016 | 3,374 | #87 |
| 2015 | 3,403 | #88 |
| 2014 | 2,967 | #103 |
| 2013 | 2,586 | #127 |
| 2012 | 2,081 | #155 |
| 2011 | 1,555 | #203 |
| 2010 | 1,206 | #275 |
| 2009 | 1,100 | #303 |
| 2008 | 1,041 | #322 |
| 2007 | 918 | #352 |
| 2006 | 844 | #384 |
| 2005 | 673 | #452 |
| 2004 | 698 | #437 |
| 2003 | 695 | #433 |
| 2002 | 608 | #467 |
| 2001 | 604 | #458 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cora a popular girl name?
Cora ranked #113 among girls in 2025 with 2,428 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #88.
When was the name Cora most popular?
Cora peaked in 2019, when 3,602 American girls received the name (ranked #71 that year). Since 2019 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Cora?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 741 newborn American girls was named Cora. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.