Total births
127,179
Unisex name · since 1924
Cory
127,179 babies named Cory in U.S. Social Security records since 1924, with the highest year being 1989. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1096
- among boys today
- 127,179
- born since 1924
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other boys
Cory currently ranks #1096 among unisex names in America, with 127,179 babies recorded since 1924.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cory has been recorded 127,179 times among boys since 1924, currently ranked #1096 nationally and more common than 92% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1924 to 2025.
- #1096 among boys today
- 127,179 born since 1924
- 1980s peak decade
- 92% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cory is currently the #1096 unisex name in America, more common than 92% of boys - 127,179 born since 1924, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1096
- among boys today
- 127,179
- born since 1924
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other boys
Cory vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1096
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 92% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Cory was born in this single decade.
1989
Single peak year
6,450 babies were named Cory in 1989 - its busiest year on record.
How Cory compares
127,179 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Cory's all-time total is 347x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cory | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 127,179 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,450 | 23 | 22,252 |
Cory's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cory's full recorded timeline at 1982, 67% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 33% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1936, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 6,450 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cory at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1989
Current rank
#1,096
Active since
1924
Cory popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1924–2025
- Peak year (1989)
- 6,450
- Annual births at peak, across 102 years of records
Cory popularity over time - girls
6,599 total births recorded since 1932 (Cory as girls' name)
Cory by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Cory's strongest decade.
44,358 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Cory births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 7
1920s
7 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 174
1940s
174 births
- 1950s 1,627
1950s
1,627 births
- 1960s 5,896
1960s
5,896 births
- 1970s
1970s
27,509 births
- 1980s
1980s
44,358 births
- 1990s
1990s
34,166 births
- 2000s 8,903
2000s
8,903 births
- 2010s 3,355
2010s
3,355 births
- 2020s 1,179
2020s
1,179 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 44,358 births (35% of all-time use).
How Cory 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 Cory's total volume
Cory vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cory by state
Where Cory concentrates geographically, total births since 1924
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 10,717 | 8.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,442 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 7,285 | 5.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 6,181 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,887 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 5,414 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Florida | | 5,324 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 4,607 | 3.6% |
California share of Cory's total US births 8.4%
Even split
10,717 of 127,179 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Cory appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cory? ▼
127,179 babies have been named Cory since 1924. It currently ranks #1096 among boys. The peak year was 1989 with 6,450 births.
When was Cory most popular? ▼
Cory was most popular in the 1980s decade with 44,358 total births. The single peak year was 1989.
Where is Cory most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cory are California (10,717 births), Texas (8,442 births), Ohio (7,285 births).
Is Cory a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Cory is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 127,179 births, and as a girl's name it has 6,599 births.
How long has the name Cory been used? ▼
Records for Cory go back to 1924, giving 102 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cory? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Corey, Corbin, Cornelius, Cornell, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Cory's data
- Cory's decade-level peak was the 1980s (44,358 total births); usage has since declined to 1,179 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Corys (10,717 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Cory
Nearby Names Like Cory
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cory
Corey Boy
#677 185,020 births
Corbin Boy
#474 41,112 births
Cornelius Boy
#2157 36,407 births
Cornell Boy
#4438 11,347 births
Cortez Boy
#1998 10,899 births
Compare Cory side by side: Cory vs Corey Cory vs Corbin Cory vs Cornelius
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cory
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, 1924–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cory: #1096 Unisex Name - 127,179 Births, Peak 1989." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cory. 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 Cory 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.