Coralee
A feminine name, a combination of "Cora" and "Lee"; meaning "maiden" or "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 1,726 living Americans carry the first name Coralee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Coralee today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coralee births was 2017 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coralee. 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.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 198,583 Americans
Peak year
2017
79 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,673
Tracked since 1895
Popularity
Coralee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coralee from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 598 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Coralee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coralee 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 Coralee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coralees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Coralee, while Washington, Virginia, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coralee
Coralee is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the combination of two distinct roots - "Cora" and "lee". The first part, "Cora," traces its roots back to the Greek word "kore," which means "maiden" or "young woman." This Greek influence on the name reflects the enduring appreciation for classical antiquity in Western culture.
The second part of the name, "lee," is an English word that can have multiple meanings, including a sheltered place, a meadow, or even a middle English word for "beloved." The blending of these two elements creates a name that evokes a sense of beauty, youthfulness, and affection.
While the name Coralee is relatively modern in its current form, its components have a long-standing history. The name Cora, for instance, can be found in ancient Greek literature, such as the works of Euripides and Sophocles, where it was used as a name for female characters.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Coralee dates back to the late 19th century. In 1884, Coralee Archer was born in New York, USA, and went on to become a notable educator and advocate for women's rights.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Coralee. Coralee Smith (1915-1999) was an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and films during the mid-20th century. Coralee Waddill (1909-1982) was a pioneering female aviator and one of the first women to obtain a commercial pilot's license in the United States.
Another notable Coralee was Coralee Beaulieu (1924-2015), a renowned Canadian artist and painter, known for her vibrant depictions of rural life and landscapes. Coralee Smith-Moralez (1946-2021) was a prominent Native American activist and advocate for indigenous rights, serving as the chairwoman of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe in Nevada.
Coralee Maude Nichols (1901-1991) was an American painter and printmaker, celebrated for her contributions to the Regionalist art movement and her depictions of rural life in the American Midwest.
The name Coralee carries a rich tapestry of cultural influences, weaving together elements from Greek, English, and modern Western traditions. Its enduring appeal lies in its melodic sound and the evocative imagery it conjures, reflecting the beauty and grace associated with its roots.
People
Coralee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coralee 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
Coralee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coralee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,726 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coralee 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 198,583 US residents.
Is Coralee a common name?
We classify Coralee as "Rare". It ranks above 93.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,607 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coralee most popular?
The single biggest year for Coralee was 2017, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coralee is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Coralee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coralee in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.