Cory
Meaning
traditionally 'hollow' or 'cauldron', from an Irish Gaelic surname
The story
Cory is usually traced to an Irish surname, traditionally glossed hollow or cauldron, and America turned it into a friendly first name with a spelling quarrel built in from the start. The curve climbs from mid-century through the 1970s to a peak across the 1980s and 1990s, the era that closed with Boy Meets World premiering in 1993 and Cory Matthews walking an entire generation through adolescence one Friday night at a time. The Corey spelling, worn by that decade's twin teen idols, always outsold this leaner four-letter form, a sibling rivalry the two spellings never resolved. Cory has eased since, aging gracefully with its cohort, and remains the tidier version of a sound that defined late-century American boyhood. If the sound comes back around, as friendly two-syllable classics tend to, the lean spelling is well placed to lead the return.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Cory peaked in the 1980s and the 1990s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
43 people · the #73,816 first name in Brazil · median age 53
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Cory
Most people given the name Cory in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Cory you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Cory deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Cory truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Cory fits with your family’s names and surname.
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