Unisex name · since 1952

Kory

14,385 babies named Kory in U.S. Social Security records since 1952, with the highest year being 1989. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#994 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,326 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
14,385
born since 1952
1980s
peak decade

Yes -- Kory is the #3326 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 14,385 recorded since 1952.

Social Security Administration records show Kory recorded 14,385 times among boys since 1952, holding rank #3326 nationally today, ahead of 76% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1952 to 2025.

  • #994 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,326 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 14,385 born since 1952
  • 1980s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kory ranks #994 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,326 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 14,385 born since 1952, peaking in the 1980s.

#994 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,326 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
14,385
born since 1952
1980s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%76.1%
Kory vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Kory's 14,385 recorded births place it above 97.81% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

47 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Kory compares

14,385 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 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

Kory's all-time total is 39x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Kory Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 14,385 369 358,536
Peak-year births 601 34 22,252

Kory's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Kory's full recorded timeline at 1989, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1952, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 601 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Kory popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1952–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1989)
601
Annual births at peak, across 74 years of records
0200400600800 195219621972198219922002201220222025 35

Kory popularity over time - girls

1,338 total births recorded since 1957 (Kory as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 1,338 births
0102030405060 195719681977198619952004201320222025 10

Kory by decade

1980s is the heaviest window (4,159 births, 29% of the file).

1980s was Kory's strongest decade.

4,159 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.

Kory births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,159 births (29% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Kory 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 Kory's total volume

Kory vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -144, 1.3%-89, 3.6%-108, 3%-61, 5.9%-97, 6.6%-108, 10%-146, 2.1%-49, 7.2%-146, 1.5%-139, 8.5%-122, 3.6%-146, 4.6%-50, 9.1%-114, 2%-145, 2.3%Kory-74, 4.2%Kory
Kory vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Kory by state

Where Kory concentrates geographically, total births since 1952

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Kory
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,485 10.3%
#2 Texas
893 6.2%
#3 Ohio
649 4.5%
#4 Michigan
600 4.2%
#5 Illinois
578 4.0%
#6 New York
538 3.7%
#7 Wisconsin
519 3.6%
#8 Minnesota
462 3.2%
California share of Kory's total US births 10.3%
Even split

1,485 of 14,385 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.

Kory appears in 47 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Kory?
14,385 babies have been named Kory since 1952. All-time, it sits at #994 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #3,326 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1989 with 601 births.
Where does Kory sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kory ranks #994 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,326 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Kory most popular?
Kory was most popular in the 1980s decade with 4,159 total births. The single peak year was 1989.
Where is Kory most popular?
The top states for the name Kory are California (1,485 births), Texas (893 births), Ohio (649 births).
Is Kory a unisex name?
Yes, Kory is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 14,385 births, and as a girl's name it has 1,338 births.
How long has the name Kory been used?
Kory has been recorded in Social Security data since 1952, spanning 74 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kory?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Korey, Korbin, Korbyn, Korben, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Kory's data

  • Kory's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,159 total births); usage has since declined to 286 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Korys (1,485 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Kory

Nearby Names Like Kory

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kory

Names with a similar popularity rank to Kory

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Kory: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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, 1952–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

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 Kory 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 August 2026.