Cor
Latin origin meaning "heart" or "mind".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Cor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cor today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cor births was 1989 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cor. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1989
7 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1989 SSA rank
#6,338
Tracked since 1989
Census
Cor in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 156 people with the first name Cor, which placed it at #44,397 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,397
National first-name rank
People counted
156
156 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cor
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cor is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cor described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cor at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 107
- Black or African American16.7% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 7
- Two or more races3.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Popularity
Cor: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cor by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Geography
Where Cors live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cor
The name Cor has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "cor," which means "heart." This name was likely given to individuals with a kind and compassionate nature, or those who were considered brave and courageous.
In ancient Rome, the heart was regarded as the center of emotion and bravery, and the name Cor may have been bestowed upon soldiers or warriors who displayed exceptional valor in battle. It may also have been used as a term of endearment, referring to someone who was deeply loved or cherished.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cor can be found in the writings of the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger, who lived from 4 BC to 65 AD. In his work "De Providentia" (On Providence), he mentions a character named Cor, although it is unclear whether this was a real person or a fictional character.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Cor. One of the most famous was Cor Hessels, a Dutch painter and etcher who lived from 1892 to 1968. He was renowned for his etchings of Dutch landscapes and cityscapes, and his works are held in collections around the world.
Another notable figure was Cor Brom, a Dutch cyclist who competed in the early 20th century. He was born in 1892 and won several prestigious races, including the Tour de France in 1925 and 1927. Brom was known for his endurance and determination, qualities that may have been reflected in his name.
In the realm of literature, Cor Bruyn was a Dutch writer and poet who lived from 1883 to 1963. He is best known for his novels and short stories that explored themes of identity, relationships, and the human condition. His works were widely praised for their emotional depth and lyrical prose.
Another notable figure was Cor Gout, a Dutch actor and director who lived from 1932 to 2015. He appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career and was widely respected for his versatility and dedication to his craft.
Finally, Cor Veltenaar was a Dutch football player who played as a striker in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in 1933 and played for several Dutch clubs, including Feyenoord and Ajax. Veltenaar was known for his goal-scoring prowess and was a fan favorite throughout his career.
People
Cor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cor going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Cor a common name?
We classify Cor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cor most popular?
The single biggest year for Cor was 1989, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cor is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cor in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 156 people with the name Cor, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,397 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cor in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cor?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Cor on both sides of the split. Of the 151 people counted with this name, 97 were male (64.2%) and 54 were female (35.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cor?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cor is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cor most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (107 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cor in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cor in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cor can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Cor as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.