Total births
1,842
Boys' name · since 1920
Cord
1,842 babies named Cord in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5096
- among boys today
- 1,842
- born since 1920
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 64%
- more common than other boys
Cord currently ranks #5096 among boys' names in America, with 1,842 babies recorded since 1920.
Social Security Administration records show Cord recorded 1,842 times among boys since 1920, holding rank #5096 nationally today, ahead of 64% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #5096 among boys today
- 1,842 born since 1920
- 1990s peak decade
- 64% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cord is currently the #5096 boys' name in America, more common than 64% of boys - 1,842 born since 1920, peaking in the 1990s.
- #5096
- among boys today
- 1,842
- born since 1920
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 64%
- more common than other boys
Cord vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#5096
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 64% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Cord was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
100 babies were named Cord in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Cord compares
1,842 Top 22% higher than 78% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cord's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cord | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,842 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 100 | 23 | 22,252 |
Cord's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cord splits its recorded history at 1993: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1920 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1990 peak of 100 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cord at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#5,096
Active since
1920
Cord popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 100
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Cord by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Cord's strongest decade.
504 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Cord births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1960s 185
1960s
185 births
- 1970s 176
1970s
176 births
- 1980s
1980s
346 births
- 1990s
1990s
504 births
- 2000s
2000s
212 births
- 2010s
2010s
298 births
- 2020s 115
2020s
115 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 504 births (27% of all-time use).
How Cord compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cord's total volume
Cord vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cord by state
Where Cord concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 100 | 5.4% |
| #2 | California | | 76 | 4.1% |
| #3 | Oklahoma | | 22 | 1.2% |
| #4 | Florida | | 21 | 1.1% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 14 | 0.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 6 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Arkansas | | 5 | 0.3% |
Texas share of Cord's total US births 5.4%
Even split
100 of 1,842 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Cord appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cord? ▼
Cord has been given to 1,842 babies in the U.S. since 1920, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #5096 as of the latest data. 100 babies were born in 1990, its single highest year.
When was Cord most popular? ▼
Cord was most popular in the 1990s decade with 504 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Cord most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cord are Texas (100 births), California (76 births), Oklahoma (22 births).
How long has the name Cord been used? ▼
Records for Cord go back to 1920, giving 106 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cord? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Corey, Cory, Corbin, Cornelius, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Cord's data
- Cord's decade-level peak was the 1990s (504 total births); usage has since declined to 115 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cords (100 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cord
Nearby Names Like Cord
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cord
Corey Boy
#677 185,020 births
Cory Boy
#1096 127,179 births
Corbin Boy
#474 41,112 births
Cornelius Boy
#2157 36,407 births
Cornell Boy
#4438 11,347 births
Compare Cord side by side: Cord vs Corey Cord vs Cory Cord vs Corbin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cord
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1920–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cord: #5096 Boys' Name - 1,842 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cord. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cord draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.