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Cora

Heart
Greek
"maiden"

Cora Origin and Meaning

The name Cora is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "maiden".

Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the coronavirus pandemic somewhat weakened its appeal.

Though she has never been completely out of favor, Cora has had her ups and downs. A Top 20 name in the 1880's, she had sunk to Number 876 in 1988 before reversing course yet again. A more recent inspiration is the appealing American-born Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey.

In classical mythology, Cora—or Kore—was a euphemistic name of Persephone, goddess of fertility and the underworld. Kore was the name used when referencing her identity as the goddess of Spring, while Persephone referred to her role as queen of the Underworld.

Cora gained popularity as a given name after James Fenimore Cooper used it as the name of his heroine, Cora Munro, in his 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans.

While a complete name unto itself, some parents who love Cora may want to use it as a short form for such names as Cordelia or Coraline. Cora's fashionable sisters include Clara, Nora, Corinne, Corinna and Coralie.

# 75 in the US

Cora Rank in US Top 1000

# 21 on Nameberry

Cora Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Cora Popularity

20 Names Similar to Cora

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Cora.

Famous People Named Cora

  • (Mary) Cora Urquhart BrownPotter, American stage actress
  • Cora CorreEnglish model; granddaughter of Vivienne Westwood
  • Cora EmmanuelFrench model
  • Cora LijekAmerican ambassador held hostage in Iran
  • Anna Cora MowattAmerican novelist/playwright/actress
  • Cora Pearl (born Emma Elizabeth Crouch)English,French courtesan
  • Cora Sandel (born Sara Cecilia Görvell Fabricius)Norwegian novelist
  • Cora Waltonbirth name of Koko Taylor, American gospel singer
  • Cora Alice Du BoisAmerican cultural anthropologist
  • Cora MiaoChinese actress
  • Sexy Cora (born Carolin Ebert)German adult film actress
  • Cora Coralina (born Ana Lins dos Guimarães Peixoto)Brazilian poet
  • Cora CombsAmerican pro wrestler
  • Cora Lodencia Veronica ScottAmerican spiritualist
  • Cora Smith EatonAmerican suffragist
  • Cora Sue CollinsAmerican child actress
  • Cora AlvillarYouTube makeup artist
  • Cora EisenbergAmerican puppeteer with husband Bil Baird
  • Cora Jakes Coleman (b. 1988)daughter of televangelist T.D. Jakes
  • Cora Kathryn Ann Altmandaughter of Robert Reed Altman; granddaughter of director Robert Altman
  • Cora Barucha Polis Reis (b. 2014)daughter of U.S. Congressman Jared Polis
  • Cora Atwood (b. 2017)daughter of Youtube stars Roman Atwood and Brittney Smith

Cora in Pop Culture

  • Corathe Maiden, epithet for the goddess Persephone, modern version of ancient greek Korē
  • Cora Munrocharacter in James Fenimore Cooper's "Last of the Mohicans"
  • Cora CrawleyCountess of Grantham, character on TV's "Downton Abbey"
  • Cora Halecharacter on MTV's "Teen Wolf"
  • Cora SimmonsBrown, character in film "Meet the Browns"
  • CoraRegina's mother on TV's "Once Upon a Time"
  • Cora Crosscharacter on British soap "EastEnders"
  • Cora Ryancharacter in film Age of Consent (1969)
  • Corawife of Vernon Tull in As I Lay Dying (1930) by William Faulkner
  • Cora Jenkinsmain character in Langston Hughes' "Cora Unashamed"
  • Corathe turned,evil sister of Stella in the Disney series, "Star Darlings"
  • CoraCanadian restaurant breakfast food chain
  • "Cora" opera by Étienne Méhul
  • Corayoung girl in steerage in film "Titanic"
  • Cora Bellcharacter in "The Friday Society"
  • Quorracharacter in film "Tron"
  • Cora Veraluxcharacter in the movie "Ratchet & Clank"
  • Cora Harpercharacter in the game "Mass Effect: Andromeda"
  • Corameans "hearts" in Latin
  • Cora Masoncharacter in "The Cage" series by Megan Shepherd
  • Cora Kingmain character in the ebook "Cora" by Relina Skye
  • Princess Coraa character from Sofia the First
  • Cora means MermaidCrown
  • Cora Tannettimain character from "The Sinner"