Kora

What Kora means

Variant of Cora, meaning “maiden”

variant of Cora || It could also refer directly to κόρη (kórē, “maiden”).

Source: Wiktionary, “Kora” (revision 88301612) and “Cora” (revision 94538488), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Kora?

US: Rising: up from #622 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #2328 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2022, when 682 girls got the name (#465 that year). First in the US records in 1942.

How common

• About 1 in 2,665 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 11,012 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 3,578 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in AK (3.02 per 1,000 girls), ND (1.85 per 1,000 girls), ME (1.61 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Kora is #490 in the US and #1362 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Kora were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

Other spellings

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Cora2,428 US · 368 E&W
• Kira801 US · 89 E&W
• Keira469 US · 109 E&W
• Kyra329 US · 88 E&W
• Kori260 US
• Kara226 US · 31 E&W
• Cara168 US · 85 E&W
• Kaira152 US · 82 E&W

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Kora

Girls

• Willow#44From the word “willow”^*
• Azalea#278Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #580 in 2015, #278 in 2025
• Eleanor#12possibly “other”^*
• Juliette#110Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #227 in 2015, #110 in 2025
• Luna#27“the moon”^*
• Esme#298Diminutive of Esmeralda, meaning “emerald”^*

For a brother

• Ezra#20Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #93 in 2015, #20 in 2025. Short and simple: 4 letters
• Muhammad#239“praised, commendable, laudable”^*
• Amir#105“commander, prince”^*
• Messiah#207Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1973, with 5 babies
• Ezekiel#61“God strengthens”^*
• Bennett#40Form of Benedict, meaning “blessed, well spoken of”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under where there are enough, topped up with common names whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Kora’s. Place names are only included if they are in the top 300. Rank is US 2025.